Another Black
by Emy Bellerose
Summary: A green light was speeding my way, Molly fought me to save her children and now she defeated me. I understand why she cares so much. I hope Gemma will have the same love.-Bellatrix's death leaves her daughter alone, but maybe not all alone.Albus P. and OC
1. Femella

I do not own Harry Potter. It is owned by J.K. Rowling.

-_Emy_

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The room was pitch black. Dark, thick, velvet curtains hung in front of the windows squelching out sunlight...if there was any. Gloomy furniture was spread out across the floor making the expansive room seem minute.

I was sitting on an ottoman with my long black sleeve pushed up to the elbow on my left arm. I was watching the etching of a skull and snake slither on my lower arm. I brought my finger up to the tattoo and followed the snake. Without warning, the snake darkened and searing pain went up my arm. I stared blatantly at the mark, relishing the awakening sense I got from the pain. I was being summoned.

I gracefully got to my feet and pulled my sleeve down. Then, the pain in my arm deepened. He was getting impatient. I scurried out of the study towards the great hall and knocked on the oak door.

"My dear, Bella, you may always enter." A voice hissed. The voice was not loud. If it was any other voice, I would not have heard it.

I opened the door, "My Lord." I addressed the pale, snake of a man and bowed. I was always drawn to him, ever since I first met him at my father's house.

"Bella, I, sadly, have been informed of something truly terrible." His face gave away no emotion. The mask was in place like always.

"What is it, my Lord?" I asked with gruff politeness.

"Sources, who will remain nameless," he said with a sickening smile, "have notified me that at the Final Battle," he paused for added effect, "you will, unfortunately, meet your demise." He did not look remorseful of telling me this news. He almost looked pleased. I, on the other hand, was dumbstruck, but was able to hide my emotion before he saw it.

"As upsetting as this new is, I have already discovered an option. With the aid of Severus, he is not aware of why, but with a simple spell, we can carry on your family line. This spell will need Lestrange's blood as well as your own. When Severus returns, I will give you the final details. You may go," he dismissed me with a wave of his hand.

I quickly left the room and steeled back into the study.

Days later, Severus entered the study. "The Dark Lord sent me to give you this spell. I am not positive it with work for whatever it is you are doing, but for what I was requested to do it will be successful." He handed me a slip of paper with directions and silently left the room.

I read what the paper contained:

1. Pour three drops of the male's blood on the female's stomach

2. Circle blood drops five times with tip of wand

(Do not touch wand to skin at this time.)

3. Properly Announce: _Partus Expono Maternus_, while touching tip of wand to the skin above bellybutton.

4. Soon a pulling feeling will occur. At this time, slowly, pull wand away from stomach

5. If done correctly, a small yellow ball will follow the tip of the wand

6. Pronounce: _Mella_ for male, _Femella_ for female

7. The ball will temporarily glow; green if male and orange if female

8. Protect ball until it is fully developed

(Timespanse unknown)

The directions were simple. I went to the oak desk that was in the room and pulled out a bottle. The bottle looked clear to the eye, but when opened, it showed its ruby red color. This was my husband's blood; the Dark Lord gave me the bottle a couple of days after our initial meeting. He wanted to keep the entire situation secret.

I reclined backwards in one of the high back chairs and lifted my shirt to show my stomach. I followed the steps and watched captivated as the yellow ball drifted in front of me. I thought about my next action. The Dark Lord wanted me to choose male. A male would be my family's heir. Strangely, I felt compelled to do something different.

"_Femella_." I said clearly, but quietly. The ball glowed orange.

My lower arm burned and I, momentarily, thought the Dark Lord knew I had disobeyed him. "The Final Battle is starting!" The snake on my arm hissed at me.

"What about you?" I asked the ball. The directions said to protect the ball, but if I was going to die how would I protect it. I sat deep in thought until I suddenly had an epiphany.

"Narcissa," I thought out loud. I left the ball in the study and locked the door behind me. I hurried to Narcissa; she would be in her sun-room on the third floor of the manor.

"Cissy," I asked through the door.

The door opened, and I saw my little blonde haired sister. She was no longer little, but a full grown woman with a child of her own. "Bella?"

"Hi, Cissy, can I come in?" I questioned. She opened the door farther and stepped back. I took that as a yes and entered her room. The room was brighter than the study, but was still murky.

"What is it, Bella? Haven't you heard the announcement?"

"Cissy, I have come to ask you something important and you cannot tell anyone. Nobody, but the Dark Lord, I, and soon you know about it." She nodded her head, and I started my tale. "I am going to die tonight at the Battle," her eyes widened in shock. "The Dark Lord informed me and had me perform a spell."

"Is it going to protect you?" She asked digesting the news.

"No," I shook my head sadly, "which is why I came to you. The spell is to carry on my family line. Severus created the spell, but even I am not sure exactly what it will do. All I know is that I have to protect it." She gave me a confused look. "Come with me; I'll show you." I grabbed her hand and led her to the study. I muttered a few choice spells to unlock the door and quickly went inside followed by Narcissa. I silently pointed to the yellow ball that was still suspended where I left it. "I need you to take care of her. It does not say when she'll be born, but I want her safe." I had only had the ball for a handful of minutes, but I already loved her. I do not know why. I looked towards Narcissa, "you cannot let anyone know about her, not even the Dark Lord. He wanted her to be a son, but I had to carry on with the tradition and have a daughter." I told her trying to smile, but it came out watery. "Promise me you will take care of her. Please," I pleaded.

She nodded, "I will; I promise. What are you going to name her?"

"Gemini," I said suddenly.

"Gemma," she responded.

"Yes, my Gemma." I smiled and it slowly turned into a frown, "thank you, Cissy. I should go; he is waiting for me." I hugged her, "I love you, Cissy. And Andromeda, I always have. Take care of yourself and your family." Tears filled my eyes, and I noticed a stray tear fall down my baby sister's cheek. "Bye," I turned around and went to the door. I chanced a look at my sister; she was facing the ball. "I love you, Gemma." I murmured. I left without another glance and went to join the Dark Lord in the Final Battle.

A green light was speeding my way, Molly fought me to save her children and now she defeated me. I understand why she cares so much. I hope Gemma will have the same love.

"Gemma," I mumbled as I fell to the ground.


	2. Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy

In the eight years that have passed since the Final Battle, since the Dark Lord and Bellatrix's death, no one has ever gone into Bella's study, except me.

"Hello, Gemma." I had taken to talking to my future niece. She was the only connection I had left to my oldest sister. "My grandson was born yesterday," I told her, "His mother, Astoria, named him Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy. Lovely name, if you ask me. Astoria said she would bring him by today." A doorbell tolled loudly through out the house, "that must be them. I will come back later. Bye." I quickly exited the study and reapplied the needed charms. When Bella died, all the spells on the study door disappeared. My charms may not be as good as Bella's were, but they would have to do.

I walked to the foyer. I saw my blonde daughter-in-law and in her hands was a small bundle. "Hello, Astoria and this must be Scorpius." I approached them and wrapped them into a warm hug. "Come in; let's go into the parlor room. I will have a house elf bring some tea." Astoria had been in the Malfoy manor many times and knew where I was leading her. "Astoria, how have you been since the birth? And, how is Draco?"

In a soft voice, she answered, "I have been well. The midwife said Scorpius birth was wonderful. Draco has been busy at the ministry. You know the project he has been working on for the Department of Magical Transportation. Well, he got it passed and they are trying his research of other forms of Floo powder." We discussed other happenings in society and suddenly a head appeared in the fireplace.

"Mrs. Malfoy?" the head asked.

"Yes," I replied.

"Oh, no, I'm sorry. I meant Mrs. Astoria Malfoy. I was told she could be found here."

"I am," replied my soft spoken daughter-in-law.

"Hello, we are having an outbreak of Dragon Pox. The Healers at St. Mungo's asked me to inquire if you could come in."

"Are they not aware she is on maternity leave?" I asked outraged that they would try to get her to come into work. She was a prominent Healer at St. Mungo's. Actually, she was the best.

"Narcissa, I should go. Dragon Pox is dreadfully contagious if it is not handled quickly. Will you watch Scorpius?" I nodded. She turned towards the fireplace, "Thank you for informing me. I will be there soon."

Within five minutes, she was gone and I was holding my grandson. He was starting to wake up. "Hello, my little one." Scorpius stuck out a little hand and gurgled.

Suddenly, I had a feeling that I need to check on Gemma. I stood up with Scorpius in my arms and carried him with me to the study. After a couple of seconds, I was facing the glowing yellow ball. It was like normal except it was pulsing. I transfigured a chair into a crib and laid Scorpius in it. The pulsing quickened and I went to the ball. I touched it and the ball became brighter until I was unable to look at it. When the ball calmed back down, the top of the ball had disappeared. Cradled in the bottom half, in a blanket, was a little baby girl. She had a little tuft of black hair and dark almost black eyes. She looked at me and gurgled like Scorpius had. I picked her up and she cooed. "Hello, Gemini. I am your Aunt Cissy." I informed the little girl in my arms. I went to a cabinet in the room. Since I did not work, I had taken up sewing. I had made many things for Scorpius and decided that Gemma would need some clothing, too. I pulled out a cute, little, yellow footie pajama outfit. It fit her perfectly. I heard a soft cry and turned towards my grandson. I went to him with Gemma in my arms and he looked up at her. He stopped crying and I enlarged the crib. I put Gemma next to Scorpius. He lolled his head towards her and her to him. I jumped when I heard a voice in the hallway.

"Narcissa," it was Astoria.

"Oh, no," I mumbled. Bella wanted me to keep her a secret, "Oh, no," I said again. I needed to think about what to do. I had not thought about what would happen when she was born. I called a house elf to watch Gemma, and I picked up Scorpius. As soon as they were apart, they both started crying. With a pop, Jip appeared. She was a little elf, and she was good with children. "Watch her, I will be back soon."

"Yes, Mrs. Malfoy."

With the crying baby Scorpius in my arms, I left the study and found Astoria in my sun-room. "Back again," I said smiling.

"Yes, it was not really Dragon Pox. Just a weak imitation some students used to get out of exams. How has Scorpius been? He has not been much trouble I hope."

"No, he was an angel."

"I am glad to hear that. Unfortunately, I should be getting home. Draco will be there soon." I hugged her again and kissed Scorpius on top of the head. I followed them to the foyer. I swear when we passed the study, Scorpius looked at the door. We said our goodbyes and they left. I hurried to the study and found Jip putting the sleeping Gemma back in the crib.

Jip looked up at me, "will that be all, Mrs. Malfoy?"

"Yes, thank you. Jip, you are not to inform anyone of her." I pointed at Gemma as I talked. She nodded and was gone.

"Bella made me promise not to let anyone know about you," I said talking to Gemma. "I know a muggle orphanage. I guess I could take you there, but only if they take good care of you. I could check on you while you are there." I thought out loud. That was the best idea I could come up with and I decided that is what I would do. With a quick glance at the grandfather clock, I realized Lucius would soon be home. I gathered all the clothing I had made for Gemma and the inscribed blanket. I had carefully stitched _Gemini_ on the left bottom corner. Lastly, I transfigured the crib into a bassinet and put her in it. I apparated both of us into an alley a block away from the orphanage. Using my wand, I magic-ed my clothes into something more muggly. I walked the block and examined the place I was taking my niece. It was a large building with white walls. The yard looked well kept up and it appeared to be a nice neighborhood. So, I knocked on the door.

A stout woman opened the door. She had a motherly appearance, "Hello."

"Hello, I need to discuss a matter with you." I said motioning to Gemma.

"Oh," she looked at me with a look I could not identify and then smiled at Gemma. "Come in," she stepped back letting me in. I followed her to a door that led to a paneled office. She went behind the desk and set down. I sat down in the chair across from her and put the bassinet on the floor next to me. Gemma was fast asleep.

"My name is Ms. Scott. What can I do for you today?" She asked politely.

"I need to put my niece into the orphanage."

"Your niece?" She asked confused about why _I_ was giving her up.

"My sister, her mother died."

"Where is the father?"

"He died before she was born. She was left in my care and I…" I trailed off.

"Oh," she smiled sadly. "Okay, we can work this out." She started asking questions and filling out papers. "Some final questions: her name?"

"Gemini."

"Full name?"

"Oh," I needed to think quickly. I had decided on her middle name being, "Edeline," but I could not say her last name was Lestrange. Since, it was so uncommon I went with Bella's and my maiden name, "Black."

"Gemini Edeline Black?" I nodded, "What is her birth date?"

"May 17, 2006."

She raised her eyebrow at the date seen as it was today's date, but shrugged, "Parents' name?"

"Rodolphus and Bellatrix Black," I replied.

"Do you have a birth certificate?" I used some quick unnoticeable magic work, and was able to pass off a slip of paper as Gemma's certificate. She examined it and nodded, "that is all I need." She handed me the paper back.

"Umm…will it be all right if I check in sometimes? I would like to see her as she grows up."

"Yes, that will be fine." She smiled, "We can take her to the nursery now. Just follow me." I nodded and we walked down a narrow hallway. At the last door on the left, she opened it and motioned for me to go inside. The nursery had three cribs along the back wall, two changing tables on the right wall, and toys spread out all over the floor. A frazzled young lady was rushing about the room trying to catch three little toddlers. "Danielle?" Ms. Scott called to the woman.

Danielle turned around, "I swear I'm in more control than it appears."

"I trust your ability. I was just coming by to introduce you to our newcomer." She pointed out Gemma and I.

The three children stopped moving and stared at me. "Well, hello." Danielle said putting out her hand. I put Gemma down on the floor and returned the gesture. The little children hurried towards Gemma. One of the girls exclaimed, "she is so cute!" Danielle grabbed my hand, "is this my new charge?" She let go of my hand and bent down next to the other children and Gemma.

"This is my niece Gemini." I informed her, frowning as she picked up Gemma.

Ms. Scott, catching my frown, said, "She will be in good hands. Don't worry." Ms. Scott told Danielle about my plan to visit and asked, "Shall we leave her to get adjusted?"

I nodded numbly and took Gemma one last time. "I will be here to visit. I love you." I had tears in my eyes, but a pure-blood woman never cried. This did not help me calm down, so I promised myself I would be by to see Gemma soon. I handed her back to Danielle and Ms. Scott escorted me to the front door.

"She will be fine," Ms. Scott promised and I walked out the door.


	3. Glass Bottles

At the orphanage where I have lived for the last eleven years, they take the children to the public pool twice a month. Today was one of the trips, but I got in trouble and Ms. Scott took away my pool rights as punishment. My friend Jean and I love to prank the visitors that come to the orphanage. Our favorite target is the paper boy. He is a couple of years older than us and likes to tease us about being orphans. Well, our prank today was relatively simple. We used the holes that are in our mailbox to tie a sting to the door to keep it from opening. Then, we hid in the bushes next to the mailbox and waited for Michael, the paperboy, to come deliver the mail. He came about five minutes after we had finished setting everything up. We held the string tight and when he tried to pull it open the door it wouldn't open. Jean and I smothered our giggles. He tried to yank it open with all his strength and at that exact moment we let go of the string. This caused him to fall backwards and everything he was holding went flying. We could not keep our laughter down. He heard us and screamed in frustration. Jean took off running towards the building with me close behind her. With his longer legs, Michael caught up and grabbed a hold of me. Jean came back for me. By this time, Ms. Scott heard all the commotion and came outside. Anyway in the end, Jean and I were in trouble for the rest of the summer.

While most of the kids and at least half as many adults went to the pool, Ms. Scott called Jean to her office. Jean left and I went on a search for a hair-pony. I found a blue one in my cabinet next to my bed underneath a blanket I have had since forever. It was a yellow quilt with little ducks on it. In one of the corners was my name: Gemini. I grabbed my thick, wavy, black hair and sloppily put it into a ponytail. I grabbed a book that an estranged aunt sent me. I was pretty sure I had never met her, but she sent me clothes and books. The book I was reading now was _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ by a guy named Newt Scamander. It had animals in it that I wasn't aware existed. One of them was a Flobberworm, which is supposed to be a toothless, brown worm that is ten-inches long. Another one of them was a Phoenix. I had heard of a Phoenix in a story book. It's a bird that gets reborn in its ashes. When the package that carried this book arrived, Jean was with me. She thought my aunt was crazy, "What kind of book is that? It's probably a joke." I personally liked the book along with the second book in the package. I didn't show this one to Jean because I knew she would make fun of it. The book was _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_ by Phyllida Spore. It was a fascinating encyclopedia and after the tenth time of reading it, I was positive I had it memorized.

I looked up from the page on Sphinx to see Jean standing in the doorway with a smile on her face and a box in her hand. "What?" I asked laying down the book.

"Remember the meeting I went to last week, the one with the blonde woman and brown haired man?" I nodded remembering her telling me all about them after the meeting. "Well, they came by asking if they could adopt me." My jaw dropped. "We signed the papers. John and Kristy, my new mum and dad, are coming to pick me up in an hour. I'm supposed to gather all my stuff up to take with me. Ms. Scott said that when I'm finished packing, she'll take me to get the box full of the stuff my parents left for me."

I picked up my jaw and put on a strained smile, "That's awesome Jean. Do you want me to help you pack?"

"Sure," we walked to her cabinet and she dragged all of the stuff onto her bed. Jean was a pack rat and collected everything. She had a total of ten multicolored bottles that she had gotten various places. These were her most prize possessions. Inside the box she had brought back with her from Ms. Scott's office, were newspapers. I took the newspapers and started wrapping up her bottles. She chatted about what she hopped her new life would bring. She wanted a puppy and a pink bedroom. After about fifty minutes, she was completely packed. Jean said she needed to meet Ms. Scott to get the stuff her parents left her. I was left by myself again and thought I should give her a going away present. I got a box out from under my bed and opened it. Inside was the money my aunt sent me, she would send me fifteen Euros every month, and the present I got for Jean's birthday. Her birthday was in five days and I had found a teal blue, glass bottle at a second hand store. I decided I would give it to her early as a joint present. I had to hurry in order to give it before she left. I took off out of the room and down the stairs. John and Kristy had just arrived and John was helping get Jean's stuff into the back of their minivan.

"Jean!" I yelled, breathing heavily from hurrying. "I have a present for you. I was going to give it to you for your birthday, but since your leaving I figured I should give it to you now." I pulled out the bottle.

"Gemini, it's beautiful. Thanks so much. I'll miss you." She gave me a hug.

"Well, you know where to find me." I said hugging her back. She stepped back towards her new family and out of my life.

With my best friend gone, I quietly went up to my room. Wow, its weird being by myself. My wallowing was interrupted by a knock on the window. I looked up to see a brown owl at the window. As soon as I opened the window, the owl flew in and dropped a letter on the nearest bed.

On the front of the envelope was something equally confusing:

Ms. Gemini Black

143 Maple Lane, Brenton Orphanage, second floor, third bed on the right.

Chelmsford, England

Whoever wrote this knew my exact bed. This scared me, but curiousity got the better of me and I opened it.

_Dear Gemini Edeline Black,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

_The school term will start September 1__st__ and you must accept or decline by August 31__st__. Included with this letter is a list of school equipment. You will be required to catch the Hogwarts express at platform 9 ¾._

_A member of the Hogwarts staff will be in touch with you by August 15__th__ to explain things further._

_Deputy Headmaster,_

**Professor Stillwell**

_Professor Stillwell_

What, a school for witches and wizards? How could someone play such a mean trick? As upset as I was about Jean and someone playing such a prank on me, I started bawling. I hated whoever sent that. I hated John. I hated Kristy. I hated Jean for leaving me. I hated my aunt for leaving me here. The person I hated the most was my mom for not wanting to keep me. I did the only thing I could think of at the time. That night while everyone was asleep, I packed all my stuff in a backpack my aunt sent me. Then, I steeled down the hall and out of the door. I never had liked the orphanage and maybe I could find my aunt, "Don't look back."


	4. Packages

The first couple of months were the hardest. I knew the name of the post office that sent my packages, so that was my first stop the morning after I left the orphanage. I did not sleep my first night; I was too nervous and excited for the next morning. I spent the time in a park two blocks away. When the next morning arrived, I hurried to the post office.

I approached the counter where a middle-aged man stood. "Hello," I said tentatively.

"How may I help you?" The man said politely.

"My aunt sends me packages from this post office. Can you give me her address?"

"I need the number of your last package and your name."

"756428553," I had memorized the number last night at the park, "My name is Gemini Black."

He looked at the computer, "there isn't a return address." This seemed to confuse him. "You must have the number wrong. Are you sure that was the number?"

"Positive," I replied

"Why isn't there a return address?" The man asked more to himself than me. "I'm sorry, there is nothing I can do." He said sadly.

I returned once a week to the post office, but he always sent me away with the same message. I had spent the last few weeks with a group of runaways that lived in a condemned building.

Three months had past since my first visit and I was pleased to have David, the mail clerk, say, "Yes, there is a new package." He turned around, walked to backroom, and returned with a box. He put the package in my hands.

"Thank you."

"I noticed there was not a return address. I found the package on the counter this morning; it was just sitting there." With that, he turned to help the next customer.

I took my box and started walking. I went to my new home. The building used to be a factory. The factory had been abandoned when the company went bankrupt. I went to the torn up coach in the corner, sat down, and opened my box. I found a new set of books, but these ones were different. The titles were _The_ _Standard Book of Spells Grade 1_ by Miranda Goshawk, _The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection_ by Quentin Trimble, _A History of Magic_ by Bathilda Bagshot, _Magical Drafts and Potions _by Arsenius Jigger, and _A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration _by Emeric Switch. Besides the book there was what looked like Barbie furniture, a trunk and a little pot. There was a piece of narrow wood and a letter at the bottom of the box. This was the first time there had been a letter.

_Date: August 31__st__, 2017_

_Dear niece,_

_I know this letter is unexpected, but I thought I should explain the contents of the package._

_By this time, I can safely assume that you received your letter. Your mother and I both went to Hogwarts when we were girls. We were in Slytherin. It's one of the four houses at Hogwarts. You'll learn more when you arrive._

_The books and supplies inside this box are the needed equipment for a first year student. I shrunk your trunk and cauldron. Tap your wand (the piece of wood) twice to enlarge the items and once to shrink it back to this side._

_On to your wand: each wand is unique to its owner. Your wand was especially made for you by Ollivander. It's similar to your mother's. It is mahogany, dragon heartstring, 11 inches, and good for transfiguration._

_You will do well at school. Good luck._

_Love you,_

_Your Aunt_

I shook my head and thought there must be something wrong with my aunt. But, I decided to humor her. I got the miniature trunk and the piece of wood, I mean wand. With the wand, I tapped the trunk twice. Nothing happened. Well, that is disappointing. I got up and started walking. _Thunk!_ I ran into a normal sized trunk. I did a double take and hesitantly used the wand to tap the trunk once. After a few seconds, it became miniature again. Whoa, I repeated the steps multiple times. Each time it worked perfectly and I could feel my excitement growing. I heard a loud knock; nobody who lived here knocked. This couldn't be good. I gathered all my new possessions, including the miniature trunk, and hurried towards my upstairs room. No one, but the kids that lived in the building went up there because they thought it might collapse.

Safely in my room, I started going through my books. I felt bad that I wasn't going to go to Hogwarts, but I missed the deadline and, besides that, I would have no way to get there. So, I studied the books my aunt sent me and, without anyone knowing, I could do all the spells and potions.

As the next five years passed, I never received another letter from Hogwarts. I never got another chance. I knew all I could from books, but I wanted to see this world I was almost part of.


	5. The Leaky Cauldron

Included in the books for this year, my aunt gave me a book all about apparating. I was excited at the prospect of being able to quickly go across distances in a blink of an eye. After learning what I needed from my other books, I threw myself into apparating. In two months I was able to apparate up and down the stairs, but I never tried farther distances.

I kept all my equipment in my miniature trunk, which I kept in my pocket. When I was walking by an expansive window that all the glass had been knocked out, a large midnight black owl swooped in and dropped a book on top of my head. "Ow," I muttered and the owl flew away again. The book in my hands looked ancient and in a curly script read: _Animagi_ and then some scribbles in Latin. Animagi? I remembered reading about them in my transfiguration textbook. I opened the book and a slip of paper fluttered to the ground.

_Dear Niece,_

_I found this in your mother's study. She spent most of her time there before she died. This book used to be in our library at our childhood home. It always fascinated your mother. I hope you put it to great use._

_Love,_

_Your Aunt_

On the first page it described Animagi: willfully changing into an animal. Animagi are all different. They maybe the same animals, but the marking are different. Once I person has their Animagus form, it cannot be changed.

The book went into more detail and I was enraptured. With any luck, I could become an animal. I read through the entire book and on the last page: Becoming an Animagus is extremely difficult and can lead to irreversible changes.

I read the book over and over again until I knew it forwards and backwards. Then, I tried the steps to become an Animagus.

At first I couldn't make the change, but after thousands of tries, I felt warmness spread through my body. Slowly, I shrank until I stood on all fours with my stomach centimeters from the ground. I was thrilled, but nervous that I wouldn't change back. This apprehensive feeling outweighed my curiosity to see what animal I changed into. I thought back to my human appearance: petite 5'3'' frame, long wavy black hair, creamy skin tone, brown-black eyes. After a few seconds, I regained my short height and long hair. I went towards a broken mirror and transformed into my Animagus form. I watch transfixed as I turned into a…hedgehog? My quills ruffled and I touched my nose to the glass. I wasn't expecting to be a hedgehog, but it was cool nonetheless. My fur was pitch black and the tips of my quills were grey. I changed back and heard footsteps on the stairs.

With all my possessions in my right pocket and my wand behind my ear, I went through the doorway and saw a Police officer standing down the hallway. Oh no! The officer turned around and stared directly at me.

"I'm here to bring you home," he told me calmly.

"No!" I focused on the alley way on the left side of the abandon building and saw the surprised expression on the officer's face, when I disappeared with a pop.

When I opened my eyes, I was looking at the graffiti on the side of the wall. If there was one officer, I was sure there would be more. I stumbled towards the end of the alley and tripped over the uneven concrete. I put my arms out to catch me and my wand clattered to the ground. Quickly, I jumped to my feet and reached for my wand. I pulled it up to tuck it behind my ear and I was almost knocked down again when a humongous, purple, double-decker bus pulled in front of me at lightening speed.

A young woman appeared, "welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Lisa Griffith, and I will be your conduct on this wonderful day," she looked at me. "Well, come aboard. We have five stops to make before the end of my shift and I'd like to get going." She said matter-of-factly. Lisa grabbed my arm and pulled me onto the bus. Where do you need to go?"

I looked at her blankly, "huh, um…"

"Never heard of the place," she said jokingly.

"I meant: I don't know where I want to go."

"Why did you wave us down, if you didn't know where you were going?"

I shrugged not knowing what to say, "Well, if you want to ride the Knight Bus, all the more power to you." She turned towards the driver and off we went. The Bus drove down the streets and the fifth stop was the Leaky Cauldron. "This is the last stop!" Lisa announced. I got up, "eleven sickles." I didn't know the conversion for Euros, but after a weird look, Lisa helped me count the money.

I stepped off of the Knight Bus towards the Leaky Cauldron. I went through the front door of the brick building. It was crowded and dingy. I heard snips of peoples' conversation.

"Yes, her birthday's coming up. There is a new book at Flourish and Blotts I was thinking of getting her." An older woman was telling her companion.

"Another drink, Tom," a young man called to the bartender.

"My mum said I could get an owl when I go to Hogwarts." A small brunette boy was telling a red headed girl. Wait, Hogwarts!

I moved closer towards the table the two children were sitting at. The humongous table was crowded with red-heads, brunettes, black haired people, blondes, and one blue headed person.

The girl took a bite of some soup and then looked at the boy, "I got a cat. I can't wait to go back to Hogwarts tomorrow."

Tomorrow? I thought to myself. Maybe, I could get into Hogwarts this year.

At this moment a man, who looked to be in his 30's with black uncontrollable hair, stood up and announced it was time for bed. It was a flurry of people with the kids running upstairs and the parents saying goodnight. When the crowd thinned, I saw a boy who looked my age. He had the same hair as the man who had spoken earlier. They were talking together and then separated. The boy looked right at me. I stood back into a group of people leaving the Leaky Cauldron, hoping he didn't see me. When I left the crowd, the boy had disappeared.

"Hello, can I help you?" I turned around. I was face to face with the man from earlier.

Shocked, I answered truthfully. "Um…I was wondering about Hogwarts."

"Why?" he asked confused.

I almost told him my entire story, but instead I asked, "What does it look like?" At the orphanage and the abandoned factory, I learned the best way to avoid answering a question is by asking one.

The man got a faraway look in his eyes, "The castle is gigantic. It's breathtaking." As he told me all about Hogwarts, I soaked it all in. I realized if I was going to try and find Hogwarts, I needed to know what it looks like. While this was my initial reason for asking, I couldn't help but daydream about being there. He talked for almost thirty minutes, and a short red-headed lady called to him.

"I'm coming, Ginny." He said back, "it was nice to talk to you." He held out his hand, "I never introduced myself. I'm Harry Potter."

I took his hand without blinking an eye, "Gemini Black." He gave me a strange look, but shook his head and turned towards the woman named Ginny.


	6. Ravenclaw

I spent the next morning hanging out in the Leaky Cauldron. At one point I saw a group of ten people go into a backroom and not come back out. I stared baffled.

"Wondering where they went?" A voice said behind me.

I looked towards the voice and saw a boy with dirty blonde hair. "Hello. Yes, I was waiting for them to come back out."

"They will probably leave through the back way." He told me.

"The back way?"

"Yes, by Gringotts."

"Gringotts?" The more he talked the more I was puzzled.

"Yes, in Diagon Alley."

"Diagon Alley?" I'm lost.

He seemed to see my confusion, "here, I'll show you." He walked towards the backroom and motioned for me to follow him. He faced a brick wall and waited for me to stand next to him. He tapped the bricks and a doorway appeared. "Welcome to Diagon Alley!" he told me extravagantly.

"Wow," I gazed around at the busy street.

"With how you are acting, I would assume a Wrackspurt has attacked you."

"Wrackspurt?"

"They make people's brains go fuzzy."

"Oh," realizing I had never introduced myself, "I'm Gemini Black."

"Well, you wouldn't know your name if a Wrackspurt had gotten you. So, I guess you're safe." He looked thoughtful for a second, "Or it might by an early infestation. My name is Lysander Scamander."

"Lysander!" A boy who looked exactly like Lysander came up to us, "Mum sent me to find you." He glanced over to me, "Hello, I'm Lorcan."

"Gemini," I said in response.

"Well, we got to get going. Ly here still needs to pack." Lorcan said.

"Lorcan, there was an article on-"

"Doesn't matter, we are suppose to meet Mum at Fortescue's," Lorcan glanced at his watch, "two minutes ago." Lorca grabbed Lysander and called over his shoulder, "Nice to meet you, Gemini."

With that, I was left by myself. I decided to go exploring. I passed a building labeled Gringotts. Lysander had talked about this place. I entered the building and was shocked to see goblins inside. I walked to the main desk at the end of the hall.

An older goblin looked up, "name?"

"Um…I was just wondering-"

He interrupted me, "name?"

"Gemini," I replied.

He looked annoyed, "last name?"

"Oh, Black."

"Gemini Black, Lestrange Family Vault, number 634. Follow me."

"Lestrange? You must be confused; I don't know any Lestrange."

He looked insulted, "You are named as the vault holder." He began walking to a door, "follow me." I hesitated. He seemed to take pity on me, "I'll check your wand for identification." He held out his hand and I put my wand in it. He examined my wand, "you are the holder of the vault, which means its contents are yours." He gave me back my wand.

"I don't want anything from it. Can I just exchange my Euros?"

"Muggle money?"

"Muggle?"

He shook his head dismissively, "none magic people. Money, please?" I was still confused, but I handed him my money.

By the time I had left Gringotts and explored Diagon Alley, it was almost nightfall. I had just left Flourish and Blotts. I had bought a copy of a book named _Hogwarts: A History_. The streets were almost empty and I remembered the discussion at the Leaky Cauldron about Hogwarts starting today. Not knowing how else to get there, I decided I would try apparating. I used Harry Potter's description of the castle and disappeared from Diagon Alley.

When I landed, I was in a field. Already knowing that this wasn't Hogwarts, I took off walking. After about fifteen minutes, I saw a town. It was already dark, so I went towards a crowded building hoping to get directions. Above one building was a sign that read the Three Broomsticks. I entered and approached the bar. An older woman was serving drinks and when she finished, she came to me. "What can I get ya?"

"Can you give me directions to Hogwarts?"

She smiled and told me, "Turn right when ya leave the Three Broomsticks. Then, go straight and you'll find a path. The path leads to Hogwarts."

I nodded, said thanks, and left. Following her directions, I ended up at a tall gate. I reached forward and tried to push the gate open. It was locked and the movement caused the gate to rattle.

A man walked past the gate dragging a kid behind him. I hid from sight and overheard, "Being outside during the Welcome feast is against the rules!" The man continued scolding the boy until they were out of sight.

I didn't want to meet that man if I could help it. I noticed a gap underneath the gate, "I bet I could fit under that," I said to myself. I changed into a hedgehog and crawled underneath the gate. When I was safely on the other side, I changed back. Quickly, I snuck towards the castle hiding anytime I saw a shadow. I found an entrance and slipped inside. In front of me was a grand staircase and I heard voices behind a door to my left. I walked over to it and braced myself to what ever was on the other side.

When the door swung open, hundreds of faces turned towards me. All noise stopped; I could have heard a pin drop. I glanced around and my eyes settled on an elderly lady sitting at the head of the table in front of me.

"Hello," I said aloud checking if I could still speak.

The lady beckoned me towards her. All eyes followed me as I walked forward. The woman stood up and walked to a doorway in the back corner. I followed and was startled when the lady said in a stern voice, "Back to your food."

She opened the door and I stepped through. The woman took off at a brisk pace and I had to practically jog to keep up. She stopped in front of a Gargoyle and said, "Lemon Drops." We continued are journey into an office. She sat at the desk and motioned for me to sit across from her.

"Hello," I said again slightly mumbling.

"Hello, my name is Professor McGonagall. I am the Head Mistress of Hogwarts."

She paused and I took this as my turn to introduce myself, "I'm Gemini Black."

"Miss Black, why are you here?"

"I wanted to come to Hogwarts."

She sat back in her high back chair, "Well, you must be a witch. Otherwise you would not have been able to find Hogwarts. What school did you go to before you came here?"

"I didn't," I explained about growing up in an orphanage and getting my letter, but never responding, and running away.

"Why didn't you reply?"

"I thought it was a joke. I didn't believe in Hogwarts until my aunt sent me textbooks."

She raised her eyebrow, when I mentioned an aunt, but only asked, "Textbooks?"

I nodded and pulled my miniature trunk out of my pocket. I sat it on the floor, tapped it twice, and watched it grow in size. I opened it and took out some of the books.

Her eyes widened, "can you perform the spells in these books?"

"Yes."

"How?" she asked stunned.

"I taught myself."

"What about your aunt?"

"I have never met her. She just sends me packages."

She nodded, "you will have to take OWL's, get sorted into a house, but welcome to Hogwarts!"

I was astonished. I finally get a chance to come to Hogwarts, but, "Sorted?"

"Yes, we will have to sort you into a house: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. It will be who you sit with, where you sleep, and who you have classes with." I nodded dumbly. Professor McGonagall walked to a bookshelf and pulled out an old hat. "Relax," she advised, "sorting is painless." McGonagall put the hat on my head and I jumped when it spoke to me.

"Gemini Black, interesting name," the hat said.

"Um…thank you?"

"Raised in an orphanage, lived on the streets when you ran away and…taught yourself magic. Quick witted, very brave, polite, and extremely cunning, you could fit into any house. Your parents were in Slytherin, but you would do better in another house. Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, you would do well there too, but I think…Ravenclaw!" The last word was announced loudly.

McGonagall took the hat off my head, "Ravenclaw. Do you have uniforms?" I nodded and took them out of my trunk. "You will need to put them on before you leave. If you put all the rest of your possessions near your trunk, we will have them taken to your room. You're a sixth year this year and classes will be passed out tomorrow. The Ravenclaw table is the third table, between Gryffindor and Slytherin. I will walk you back to the Great Hall. There is an hour left of diner. Come on." We left her office and made our way back to the dining hall. I walked through the side door I had left through. She asked me if I knew which table I needed to go to. This time, only a handful of people watched me. I nodded to the Head Mistress and walked to the Ravenclaw table.

Only one spot was open. It was across from a boy with almost white blonde hair. When I sat down, he introduced himself, "Hello, I'm Scorpius Malfoy."


	7. Fewer there will be

The hour left of dinner went by fast. Scorpius told me all the in's and out's of Hogwarts. We didn't stop talking, unless we had food in our mouths, the entire time. Students started drifting out of the Great Hall and soon Scorpius and I were the only students left at the Ravenclaw table.

"We should get to bed." I nodded and waited for him to lead the way. He didn't move, "do you know the way?" I shook my head negative, "Great! We can play follow the leader," he said jokingly. He took me up several sets of stairs and soon I was so turned around, I was sure I'd be lost forever. "We have arrived!" I watched as he stared at a bronze eagle knocker.

I jumped when the knocker spoke, "I know a word of letters three, add two and fewer there will be."

"It's a riddle?" I asked confused.

"Instead of having a password like the other houses, we get asked riddles." He looked like he was concentrating hard, "the problem is, I suck at riddles."

I laughed and then turned to the knocker, "can you repeat the riddle?"

"No, I can only say the riddle once for a person."

"But, you said the riddle to him not to me."

The knocker made a scoffing noise, "fine! I know a word of letters three, add two and fewer there will be."

I thought for a second, "The answer is 'few'"

"Correct," the knocker announced and I was let into a blue and bronze room.

I entered the common room with Scorpius behind me. He asked, "How did you know that?"

"The riddle said 'fewer there will be.' So, I figured the two letters had to be added on to 'fewer'. If you take off the 'er', you get 'few'." I explained as though it was obvious.

"Never would have gotten that." He decided to change the subject, "classes start tomorrow; we should go to bed."

"Okie dokie," I replied suddenly hyper, "Night." He returned the sentiments and walked up a staircase. I thought it was safe to figure the other staircase led to the girls' rooms. When I reached the landing, I saw a hall of doors. I went to the one labeled sixth year and opened the door.

Inside were three giggling girls and a fourth one reading a book, "hello," I said nervously.

The three girls turned to look at the person who interrupted them and went quiet. The girl reading had light brown hair and bright blue eyes said, "Hello. Are you the new student?"

"Yes, my name is Gemini Black." I replied.

Another girl with black hair said in a snotty voice, "what kind of name is Gemini?" The girl sitting next to her burst out into a new set of giggles.

The girl who had talked first said, "Ignore her. She's just jealous because Scorpius spent the entire dinner talking to you instead of her. My name is Matilda Fawcett. This is Lela Jones, Mariah Whitby," she motioned to two blonde girls," and this, oh so nice person," she motioned to the black haired girl," is Patrice Chang."

"Nice to meet you," I gulped out. After the introductions, Matilda, Lela, and Mariah started badgering me with questions. Matilda seemed interested in my life, while Lela and Mariah just wanted to know what Scorpius talked to me about.

I tried to smother a yawn, but wasn't successful. "This is your bed," Matilda pointed to the only bed that's sheets weren't rumpled. It was next to hers.

Patrice, who seemed upset about not being the center of attention, pouted and loudly announced, "It's late and we have school tomorrow."

Matilda rolled her eyes and got into bed. The rest of us followed suit and were soon asleep.

The next couple of months slipped past quickly, I studied and took O.W.L's, which I found out stood for Ordinary Wizarding Levels. I was under constant testing to see how my life so far, growing up in an orphanage and living on the streets, effected my interaction with other students. Scorpius and I became close, but he would disappear unexpectedly. Matilda also became my friend and I spent most of my time with her.

The only trouble I had with a student happened towards the end of the second month. I had just finished my last O.W.L. and Scorpius decided he would let me in on where he went when he disappeared. It turns out, he thought I should meet some of his other friends. These friends included Rose Weasley, who was extremely nice, and Albus Potter, who took an instant Dis-like to me. I don't know why, but he was very short tempered and so, soon after introductions, I slipped away. Scorpius was too busy talking to Rose and visa versa. I was positive he liked her and sure she felt the same even after only one meeting. Albus, on the other hand, was glaring heavily at Scorpius. He ended his death stare and glanced around. When he noticed I was gone, he visibly relaxed. It confused me, but I figured not everyone was going to like me. Mostly, I just hadn't expected someone to judge me without knowing me. I went straight to the common room and into my bedroom.

Inside, Matilda was sitting on her bed reading. Without looking up, she said, "Hey, Gemini."

"Hey, Mattie" I said slightly sullen.

She caught the tone, "what's wrong?"

Knowing she wouldn't let me go if I answered with nothing, I told her about how Albus acted when he met me.

"That's weird," she said confused, "I wonder why he doesn't like you. I mean with his family history, it was weird when everyone found out he was best friends with a Malfoy." At my questioning look, she added, "their dads hated each other at school." I nodded acknowledging that I understood what she meant. "I don't know why he doesn't like you. Maybe, you should ask Scorpius when he gets back."

"Scorpius?" A shrill voice said from the doorway. We turned to see Lela. Lela and Mariah are fan-girls of Scorpius. Patrice is the worst, though.

"Yeah, he said something about waiting for a girl in the library." Matilda replied. She hated the whole fan-girl concept. Mattie thought being obsessed like that was creepy. After realizing what Matilda said, Lela ran out of the room. I assume she went to spy on Scorpius in the library.

After she left, a little blonde-haired girl came to the door, "Gemini, a boy is asking for you downstairs." Then, she left the room.

I looked at Matilda, "go," she commanded. I obeyed.

"GEMMA!!" a voice was screaming.

"Scorp, I got the message, no need to yell." I saw him at the bottom of the steps.

He stopped calling for me, "what message?"

"Never mind, what do ya want?" I said walking to a table in the common room and sitting down.

He sat down across from me, "why'd you run off?"

"Umm…I had something I needed to do?" It ended up coming out as more of a question then a statement.

"Right," he said skeptically, "why'd you run off?" He asked again.

I decided to change the subject. If he was best friends with Albus, I didn't want to say anything about him. "You like Rose." I pointed out.

He blushed, "Don't change the subject."

"Well, I thought I was in the way."

"Why?" Apparently, he likes that question.

"You and Rose were wrapped up in each other and Albus doesn't like me."

"We were not wrapped up in each other. What do you mean Albus doesn't like you?"

Yay, a new question that doesn't start with 'why'. "He glared at me."

"Glared?" He asked doubtfully.

"Yes, glared. I don't know why, but I figured you might know."

"I didn't even notice anything."

"To busy flirting with Rose," I said teasingly.

"I was not!" he said unconvincingly.

"She was flirting with you, too." I informed him.

"She was?" he asked with wide eyes. I nodded.

Since it was late, I said goodnight and went to my room. He tried to chase after me and ask more questions, but thank goodness for the stairs.


	8. 34 to 1

After that initial meeting, I hadn't seen Albus, but I saw Rose a lot. The first time she came up to me, I was sitting at the Ravenclaw table with Matilda. Scorpius wasn't there, but Rose didn't seem to mind. She seemed to be very determined about something, "Does Scorpius like me?" Wow, that was blunt.

Mattie seemed to be on the same wavelength because she said, "That was blunt."

"I know, but I need to know if he likes me."

"And, you come to ask me?" I asked.

"Well, ya. Besides my cousin and me, you are his closest friend."

I didn't know that, "Oh," was all I said.

"Ya, so, does he like me?"

I had spaced why she had originally came by. I seemed to do that a lot. Matilda said it was ADD. Well, she said it more like, "you have A.D.O.S." I looked confused when she said it. Then she explained, "Attention Deficit…Oooh Shiny."

Matilda waved her hand in front of my face, "Oh, sorry." I said coming back into focus. Then, I thought about telling her how much he liked her, but figured Scorpius should tell her. "I can't tell you." I said finally, "Scorp needs to tell you or give me permission to tell you."

"Darn!" She replied after I finished talking.

"Sorry."

"It's all good. I'm just scared to ask him." She looked down.

"Just go ask him." I suggested.

She got a bright look in her eyes. "Yes, I think I will." Then, Rose left.

Matilda and I returned to our lunch and started talking about our Potions homework.

About five minutes later, Rose came back looking down heartened and said, "I couldn't tell him. I went straight up to him and then started gapping like a goldfish."

Mattie and I comforted Rose with don't worries. People started emptying out of the Great Hall. "Come on you, guys. We should get to class," Mattie said. Mattie and Rose had Divination and I had Ancient Runes with Scorpius.

In class, Scorpius sat in the desk next to me. After Professor Becker gave out that day's assignment, Scorpius asked, "Gemma, do you know what was wrong with Rosie earlier?"

How'd he know I talked to her? I thought working on my assignment. "Yes, but I can't tell you."

He gave me a funny look and then sighed. This caused me to glance up at him and I cast him a 'what' look.

"I think I love her…" he trailed off.

"You think?" I personally believe with love you can't think you are; you either are or your not.

Scorp seemed to have heard the tone of my voice, "I don't know."

I thought for a second and then told him what I'd do, "I wouldn't say anything unless you're sure." He gave me a hesitant look, "I know it sounds like bad advice, but why string someone along if you decide later that you don't care for them that way."

He nodded and sighed again. I patted him on the back and told him, "don't worry. You'll find the answer soon," I said reassuringly. He spent the rest of class deep in thought. When Becker announced class was over, Scorp realized he hadn't even looked at his homework let alone paid attention to what Becker had instructed. I decided to give him a break, "I'll help you with it tonight."

He nodded and smiled, "Come on we got potions to get to."

Early December, Scorp came running up to me, "I heard that Matilda is going to Germany for Christmas and I strongly believe no one should be alone at Christmas. So, you are coming to my house for Christmas!" I stared blankly, "Don't look at me like that; I thought it would be fun." Somehow, he convinced me to spend Christmas with me and when Professor Stillwell, the Deputy Headmaster, came around asking who was leaving for break, I put my name down.

On December 17th, I boarded the Hogwarts Express with Scorpius. He laughed at my amazement. This was the first time I had been on board a train. Scorpius told me about his family. He was really close to his grandmother, and his parents worked constantly. His mum was a prominent healer and his dad worked at the ministry. About halfway through the ride, Rose found Scorp and me and with her was Albus. When he saw me, he shot me a dirty look. I got up hoping to make a quick and stealthy escape, but I didn't succeed.

"Gemma, where are you going?" Scorp asked.

I tried to come up with an excuse, but couldn't think of one so I shrugged.

"Gem, stay," Gem was Rose's nickname for me.

I chanced a look at Albus, but he seemed to be examining the landscape. So, I huffily said, "fine." I sat down and pulled out a book. It was one my aunt sent me _Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy_.

I was examining a family tree, when Rose sat next to me and looked over the page, "Hey, there is my grandmother's name."

I had zoned out, "huh?"

"My grandmother," she pointed to the name Molly Prewett. "Her maiden name was Prewett. These are her brothers," she said showing me the names Gideon Prewett and Fabian Prewett. "They died in the first war," she said sadly.

"Oh, that's sucks." I replied.

"No, duh," Albus said sarcastically. It was the first thing he had ever said in my presence.

Rose seemed to pick up his mood, "Gem, come with me. I want to show you something." She got up and walked to the compartment door.

I turned to say bye to Scorpius, but he was to busy staring at Rose. Well, hopefully Scorp will tell Rose how he feels soon.

She guided me down the narrow walk way and stopped at another compartment door. Inside was two girls, one had red hair and the other had brown.

"Hiya, Lily, Molly."

"Why don't you ever say hi to me first?" The brown haired girl asked.

"I like Lily better." Rose said as though it was obvious, but I could tell she was joking.

"Told you so," Lily the red headed girl said and stuck out her tongue.

Rose started laughing and I joined in. This was when Lily and Molly noticed me.

Molly asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm Gemini Black."

"Oh, you're the one my brother rants and raves about." Lily responded.

"Huh?" I asked not comprehending what she said and Rose glared at her.

"Never mind," she said quickly.

I mentally said okay, while Molly asked, "So, what brings you to our compartment?"

"What, I can't come visit my two wonderful cousins?" Rose asked smiling.

"No!" Molly and Lily answered at the same time. This caused Rose to stick her tongue out at them.

"Wow," I said laughing.

Rose, Lily, and Molly all started talking about what they wanted for Christmas and who was coming over. I felt a little left out, but the feeling was drowned out by the happiness radiating off the three. An announcement was made saying, "the train would be arriving soon."

About five minutes after the announcement, Lily started listing who was coming to Christmas Eve dinner. So, I asked, "How big is your family?"

"Well, there is Uncle Bill, his wife and their three kids." Lily said.

"That's five," counted Molly.

"Don't forget, Uncle Charlie." Rose interjected.

"Okay, six," Molly continued.

"Then, Uncle George, Aunt Angelina, and their two kids," Lily listed.

"Ten."

"Uncle Percy, Aunt Audrey, Lucy, and Molly," Lily went on.

"That's me! Oh, and the count is fourteen."

"Uncle Ron, Aunt Hermione, Hugo, and," Lily was interrupted.

"And, moi!" Rose said.

"Eighteen."

"Then dad, mum, James, Albus, and me," said Lily.

"Twenty-three and don't forget Teddy, Grandma and Grandpa Weasley." Molly reminded Lily.

"Or Grandma and Grandpa Granger," Rose said.

"Oh, we need to count Great Uncle Vernon, Great Aunt Petunia, Uncle Dudley, Aunt Anne, and their two kids." Lily said.

"That's thirty-four," Molly said.

"That's a big family," I told them with a smile on my face.

Lily rolled her eyes, "Ya, we know."

Molly energetically asked, "what about your family?"

Lily, Molly, and Rose looked at me expectantly. My smile dropped, I felt the train start to slow, and I said in a small voice, "I grew up in an orphanage. I don't know my family." I witnessed the shocked looks on their faces before I got up and went to find Scorpius.


	9. Confessions

Malfoy Manor:

My grandson was going to spend Christmas break with us, while his parents worked. The only day my son, Draco, and his wife had off this year was Christmas Day. I was supposed to meet Scorpius at platform 9 ¾ around one this afternoon.

"Mopsy," I called to a house elf, and she appeared, "I will be bringing my grandson here today. He will spend the next few weeks with us." The little elf nodded, "Scorpius, also, invited a friend for break. So, I will need the guestroom set up and ready before they arrive. That is all," I finished and Mopsy left.

It was fifteen minutes until time to pick up Scorpius and his friend. Scorpius didn't inform me of who was coming to stay, so I assumed he was bringing Albus. I arrived to see the black train engine pull into the station. Waves of people stepped in front of me. I saw a tall, lanky, blonde boy through the crowd.

"Scorpius!" I called out.

He noticed me and waved, "Hello, Grandma." Scorpius walked over to me, I didn't see his friend and he hugged me. Unlike most boys, when Scorpius got older he never stopped hugging me.

"Hello. how was school? Did you get your trunk? Where is our guest?" I asked the questions continuously.

"School's good. I'll tell you more when we get home. I already got my trunk and our guest is getting their trunk." I nodded.

In a couple of minutes, I heard a girl's voice, "Scorp?" I looked questioningly at Scorpius. The girl had long, wavy, black hair and black eyes. I studied her closely and felt my jaw literally drop. I breathed out, "you look just like her." I said it quietly and neither Scorpius nor the girl heard.

"Grandma, this is Gemini Black. Gemini Black, this is my grandmother."

I stared at Gemini, Gemma, Bella's Gemma. I didn't trust my voice, yet.

"Hello, Mrs. Malfoy." Gemma said politely.

"Hello," I swallowed unnoticeably, "nice to meet you." I quickly turned away to keep myself from staring, "We should get going. Do you both have everything?" I didn't wait for an answer, I just stared walking.

For the next week, I kept busy and away from my niece. It wasn't that I didn't want to talk to her, but I was positive I would blurt something out if I was left alone with her. Luckily, Christmas celebrations gave me the perfect excuse to avoid Gemma.

About the 21st of December, I got caught in the same place as Gemma. I had walked into the Library to look for a book that contained a family recipe and saw her sitting curled up in a chair. She looked up at my entrance, "hello, Mrs. Malfoy."

"Oh, hello, Gemma," I knew I'd say something, I shouldn't. I called her Gemma instead of Gemini. Trying to forget the mishap, I noticed the large book on her lap, "What are you reading?"

"It's a book called _Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy_. My aunt sent it to me." I responded with an 'Oh' and continued looking for the book I came to get. I wanted to keep myself from telling her I sent the book.

I was snapped out of my search by a loud gasp and quick shuffling of papers. With a glance at Gemma and the needed book now in my hands, I asked, "what is it?"

"Lestrange," she said more to herself than me.

This caused me to start towards her. I looked over her shoulder and noticed the Black family tree. Her eyes were glued to the last branch: Bellatrix (1951-1998) married Rodolphus Lestrange (1950-1998). She repeated, "Lestrange."

"Where did you hear that name?" I asked astounded.

"Huh?" Gemma asked acting like she had come out of a trance.

"Where did you hear the name Lestrange?" I demanded.

"A goblin at Gringotts told me I was the heir to the Lestrange Family Vault." She answered meekly.

I started mumbling to myself, "How could they? How did they know?"

Gemma gave me a confused look, "Do you know the Lestranges?"

I sighed, "Yes, Bellatrix was my sister." I pointed to my section of the family tree.

"Oh, do you know why I'm the heir of the vault?" She asked. "I told the goblin he had mistaken me with someone else, but he checked my wand and said the vault was mine."

"It is your vault because Bellatrix was your mother."

At this moment, I was saved from further explanation when Scorpius entered the room. "Grandma, Rose invited me to come to Christmas Eve dinner. I'm sure she won't mind Gemma coming along. Can I go?"

I nodded, told the children I would talk to them later, and walked hurriedly to the kitchens to give the house elves the recipe before Gemma could ask more questions. After that, I was more careful about being with Gemma. I wasn't ready to explain everything.

Number 12, Grimmauld Place:

It was hard to believe Christmas Eve came so fast. The sun was barely in the sky, and this would probably be the only time today the house would be empty. I woke up in a good mood, when I remembered Scorpius would be coming by early today for Christmas Eve. This thought reminded me of Gemini Black and I developed a sour mood.

I hate Black for three reasons.

1. She will come between Scorpius and Rose.

I know Scorpius and Rose will end up together. They are perfect for each other. Scorpius is talkative and weird and Rose is quiet and down to Earth. When Black came to Hogwarts, she began ruining their chances of becoming a couple. Scorpius spends about as much time or more with Black then he does with Rose.

2. She will come between Scorpius and me.

Obviously, since Scorpius isn't spending time with Rose, he isn't hanging out with me. We use to spend all of our time together. Like, the only time he would ever go to his common room was late at night, or he wouldn't go and just stay the night in the Gryffindor common room. Now, he leaves after about an hour saying he needs to talk to Black. He no longer eats with Rose and me during meals at the Gryffindor table; he sits with Black and her friend at the Ravenclaw table. Okay, so he has invited us to sit with him, but I always decline, which brings me to my last reason for hating Gemini Black.

3. She is absolutely, without a doubt, completely gorgeous, intelligent, and I'm in love with her.

Ya, I didn't expect it either. But when I first saw her, I fell fast and hard. This is probably why I hate her for the first reason. If she ends up with Scorpius, I'd be crushed. I wouldn't be able to handle my best friend and the girl I love being together. It sounds horrible, but it would still be true.


	10. Meet the Family

The first thought that came into my head when I entered Number 12, Grimmauld Place was chaos. There were people running all over the house. The first person I recognized was, "Rose!" I called out.

"Oh. Hey, Gem, Scorp!" Rose exclaimed wrapping me in a hug. When she let go of me, she turned to Scorpius and hesitated.

"Go ahead," I whispered into Rose's ear. Scorpius and Rose entered into a hug, and they quickly released each other.

She blushed, "Welcome to the Potter house."

"Is there always this much commotion?" I asked.

"It's a daily occurrence," she said laughing. We joined in and I stopped when I saw Albus on the stairs.

"Hey, Al!" Scorpius called as he stopped laughing. I waved politely, but Albus just gave me a weird look and ran upstairs. Scorpius followed him and Rose dragged me around to meet the rest of the family.

We approached Rose's parents. "Mom, Dad. This is Gemini."

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley," I said respectfully.

"Oh, that makes me sound old." Rose's mom chuckled.

"We are old, honey." Rose's dad pointed out.

"Not that old. Anyway, nice to meet you and don't get lost in the current of people." Rose took me away from her parents towards a different group of people. In fifteen minutes, I had met all of the Weasley Uncles. "Now, Grandma," she announced taking me into the kitchen. Inside were three women. I had only met one of them: Rose's mother. "This is my aunt Ginny," Rose said motioning towards a petite red-head, "and this is my Grandma."

"Hello, dear," A plump older lady said while chopping vegetables.

A girl I had seen at school before, who I thought was in second year, came into the room, "Mum, Dad's home."

"Thanks, Lily." Rose's aunt Gunny and mother exited the room.

Rose looked towards me and I said, "Go say hi; I'm going to sit down for a second." Rose nodded and left.

With everyone, but me gone, Rose's Grandmother decided to rest for a second, "Hello, I-" When she turned around to face me, she became speechless and but her hand over her heart.

"Are you okay?" I asked concerned, standing up, ready to get help if it was needed.

She stammered for a second, "I thought, I saw a ghost." After a couple of seconds, she began breathing steadily again.

"A ghost?" I asked curiously.

"Yes, you look like," she strayed off, "never mind. It isn't important."

"Please," I asked pleadingly, "who do I look like?" I thought she might know about my family.

"A horrible woman named Bellatrix Lestrange, but there is no way you could be related. She died a long time before you were born." She got up to finish working on the food.

"I'm related to her," I said quietly.

She dropped the spoon she was holding and looked at me, "what did you say?"

"She's my mother," I whispered.

Thousands of emotions passed through the older lady's face. I hurriedly described growing up in the orphanage, living on the streets, and Mrs. Malfoy telling me about Bellatrix.

"Oh, my!" She exclaimed.

"What do you know about her?" I asked dying to know something about my mother.

"I don't think I'm the one that should tell you." She said shaking her head and then she dismissed the subject, "Run along, dinner is almost ready."

I walked out of the room only to run into Albus. This time he didn't glare just looked blankly. "Hello, dinner's almost done." He nodded and then entered the kitchen. I stood in the hallway not knowing where to go. I went to the first doorway; it was a library. Inside, a young man was flipping through a novel.

"Hi, sorry, I was trying to find Rose or Scorpius."

The man looked up and his hair turned pink. I stumbled backwards and he laughed, "Sorry, sometimes it changes color when I'm surprised." He said point to his hair as it turned bright blue. "My name is Teddy Lupin."

"Hello, Mr. Lupin. My name is Gemini Black."

"No, not Mr. Lupin, it makes me feel really old, just Teddy, nice to meet you Gemini. That's an interesting name."

"Nice to meet you and thanks, I thought it was, too."

He chuckled again, "well, shall we find the rest of the family." He opened the library door. He led me into a living room. He said goodbye and head towards a blonde woman who was holding a baby with neon orange hair. I looked around and found Scorpius and Rose sitting together discussing Quidditch.

"Hiya," I said sitting on Rose's other side. She looked over, said hi, and returned towards her conversation. Scorpius was so enraptured with Rose that he didn't even hear me talking. I saw a boy with brown hair standing all by himself. He looked familiar, but I was sure Rose hadn't introduced him. I walked over to him, "Hello."

He glanced up at me. The boy looked about ten, "Hi."

"I'm Gemini."

"Hugo."

It dawned on me, "Oh, your Rose's brother."

"Yeah," he looked over at his sister and Scorpius and grimaced.

Trying to think of conversation, I said, "So, when do you think they will admit they like each other?"

He returned his gaze to me, "Never, they are both stubborn. Rose is like our dad. It took him six, almost seven, years to admit he like our mum."

"Wow, they've known each other that long maybe it'll happen within the next year."

"Next year I get to go to Hogwarts," he said excited.

"This is my first year," I informed him.

He looked confused, "I thought you were in the same year as Rose."

"I am; this is just the first year I went to Hogwarts."

He nodded, "I can't wait to go. What house are you in?"

"Ravenclaw," I said proudly.

"I want to be in Gryffindor. All of my family was, but I guess Ravenclaw would be all right. I don't want Hufflepuff or Slytherin. There is nothing wrong with Hufflepuffs. Most of them are really nice; well, at least the ones I've met. But, I have heard Slytherins are really mean."

I nodded in agreement, "I have Transfiguration with Slytherins. They are just really prejudiced." Hugo and I chatted about Hogwarts and the Quidditch teams. He seemed outraged that I didn't really know anything about Quidditch. After twenty minutes, I knew the Quidditch players for the Chudley Canons, Holyhead Harpies, and Puddlemere United.

We were interrupted, when Rose's Grandmother came in and yelled, "Dinner!" Then, the once peaceful, mingling room took off in a stampede towards the dinner table.


	11. Scorp's Antics

Everyone crowded around the large table. Rose was on my left, Scorpius sitting on my right, and Albus was directly across from me. The table was covered with food; some of which I couldn't even recognize. The people around me began digging in, so I piled mashed potatoes and ham on my plate. The room was loud with noisy chatter and clanking plates.

When the course were eaten and cleared from the table, Rose's mother and grandmother served dessert. The dessert selection was as diverse as the previous food and my jaw dropped at the wonderful smells. The plates were passed around and I helped myself to a generous piece of apple pie.

"Gem, do you think you could stay the night at my house?" Rose asked, "We are kind of having a girl's night. All the boys are going to stay here, and tomorrow, for Christmas, we are all going to Grandma and Grandpa Weasley's house."

"I guess if Scorp is staying, I will too." I told her.

Hearing me say his name, Scorpius turned towards us, "What ya talking about?" It came out kind of jumbled because he was still chewing.

Rose, surprisingly, understood what he was saying, "Are you going to stay overnight?"

"Ya, I asked my grandmother about it before we left. She said it was fine as long as Gemma and I are back by three." This came out more clearly.

She nodded and turned to me. I replied, "Guess I'm staying to, but I didn't bring anything with me."

"Well, between all of my cousins and me we should have something you can wear."

We turned back to our dessert and soon people started leaving the table. I followed Rose into the hallway. By the door, I saw the man named Teddy with him was the blonde woman from earlier and the orange haired baby, "Sorry, Uncle Harry. I have to work in the morning."

I heard a protest from a black haired man, "They have you working tomorrow, but its Aimee's first Christmas."

"Yes, but since I changed departments, I have to work the first holiday which is Christmas. I was lucky enough to get out of working Christmas Eve." Teddy replied.

The man shook his head, "fine." He turned to the blonde woman, "Victoire are you coming tomorrow?"

Victoire nodded, "Yes, Aimee and I will be at the Burrow."

Teddy, Victoire, and Aimee left and the black haired man turned around.

"Hello, Uncle Harry." Rose said happily.

"Hi, Rosie and who is your friend?" The man turned to me and a look of confusion appeared on his face, "I have met you before, um," he hesitated on my name.

"Gemini," I said recognizing the man.

"Yes, I remember you from the Leaky Cauldron." He said figuring out how he knew me. Harry told Rose and me, that he would talk to us later and he went into the library.

"You met Uncle Harry at the Leaky Cauldron?" Rose asked.

"Ya, it was the day before I went to Hogwarts."

"Oh, the whole family was there. That's probably why I didn't see you."

While we talked, we went up the stairs. Rose said we were going to Lily's room. She talked continuously, not noticing anything. When we were on the top landing, I saw Albus standing in the left hallway. Rose turned right and started up the hall.

"Hi, Albus," I said walking towards him. I thought I might be able to find out why he didn't like me.

"Hello," he said very professionally.

I decided to be straightforward, "why don't you like me?"

He gave me a shocked look. Then, Albus quickly covered it with an impassive countenance and mumbled something under his breath. He opened his mouth like he going to say something, but instead he snapped it shut and walked through one of the doors in the hallway. I considered following him, but decided to go after Rose.

The last door on the right was open and I figured that was where Rose had gone. I saw her inside a spacious bedroom. When she saw me, she asked, "Where did you run off to?"

"Umm…I was looking at the pictures in the hall." It seemed like a good enough excuse and Rose nodded. By this time, I noticed the other people in the room. Lily and Molly were sitting on what I assumed was Lily's bed. Lily was painting Molly's fingernails. Two younger girls, who were about nine, were sitting on the floor playing Wizard's Chess. Rose had introduced me to both of the girls earlier. Lucy, who was Molly's sister, smiled when she saw me standing there. She pushed a stray brown lock out of her face and tuned back into the game. The girl playing opposite of Lucy was Roxanne. Roxanne looked and acted just like her father, Rose's Uncle George. I found out the hard way that her father owned a joke shop, when she tried to give Scorpius and I Ton-Tongue Toffee. Luckily, her father took off the enchantment after a couple of minutes.

She glanced up after she took her turn and gave me a mischievous smile. Hogwarts better watch out when she comes. I thought chuckling to myself.

I took a seat on the floor next to the chess match and was soon wrapped up in the game. I was so startled when Lucy yelled, "Checkmate," that I fell over. Roxanne, Lucy, and I all started laughing. We were disrupted by a voice from the doorway, "Girl's ready to get going?" I looked towards the voice and saw Rose's mother telling us it was time to go. All the girls, besides Rose and I, ran out the door and down the stairs.

"I'm going to say bye to Scorp." I informed Rose.

"The boys are probably in Albus' room." She took me down the hall and knocked on one of the doors.

Scorpius opened the door, "Hey, Rosie, Gemma." He opened the door and let us in. Albus was sitting on top of the desk. "What do you, lovely ladies, want?" Scorpius asked attempting to be suave and failing miserably. He tried to act impressive by leaning against the bedpost, but he stumbled and fell to the ground. Albus snorted at Scorp's antics. Rose rushed over to him to make sure he was okay and I couldn't help, but laugh. I noticed Albus staring at me and my laughter became almost silent.

I coughed, blushed, and looked at the ground. "We just came to say goodbye," I told the floor.

Scorpius stood up and pulled Rose up with him. He _un_intentionally didn't let go of her hand, "I'm sure the floor would have been disappointed, if you hadn't come to say goodbye." He said jokingly.

I playfully glared at him with a smile on my face and heard an audible scowl coming from Albus. I looked up at him and he glared. It was a complete change from the look he had just given me, when I caught him staring. I felt the smile instantly turn into a frown. I was going to confront him about his sudden change in attitude, but before the words could come out of my mouth, Rose's mum called up the stairs saying we needed to hurry.

Rose seemed to snap out of a dream, and said, "Oh, ya, we got to go. We just came by to say we were leaving."

Scorpius nodded and reluctantly let go of Rose's hand, "Okay, see ya tomorrow, Rosie. Bye, Gemma."

"Bye, you guys. Come on, Gem." Rose started towards the door.

"Bye, Scorp." I turned to Mr. Grouchy, "See ya, Albus."

Albus muttered, "See ya," grudgingly. I smiled to Scorpius and left after Rose.


	12. House Unity

About four months after Winter Break, I was extremely hyper and searching for Matilda. I found her in the library doing some last minute studying.

"Hiya, Mattie." I said sitting in the seat across from her.

"Mmm," was her response.

"I don't speak that language." I said smiling.

"Obviously, you have no use for studying either." She grouchily pointed out my lack of study skills. When Matilda is working, she hates to be interrupted. And since I'm a great friend, I stole her quill. "Gemma!" She screeched at me, making everyone in the room look up and shush her.

"Yes?" I asked innocently.

In a strained polite voice, she demanded, "Give me back my quill."

"Okay," I handed her the quill and then picked up her bottle of ink.

She glared pointedly, "go read a book," she said ordering me away from her.

"Fine," I got up, still carrying her bottle of ink, and went down an aisle.

"Gemma," she called after me. I looked around the corner, "I need ink." I hurried out of sight and tried to hide behind a stack of books. Mattie calmly walked after me, grabbed the bottle out of my hand, and walked away. I stuck my tongue out at her back. Then deciding I would take her advice, I looked through the books. I found a green one and pulled it out. Carefully flipping through the pages, I found the heading called Opposites. It was a spell that turned the object casted upon into its inverse. I read the incantation and directions.

_**Adversio**__ was created during the late nineteenth century to allow a person to see two sides of an object._

The page went into more detail, and I scanned the information barely digesting the final line.

_There is no counter-curse for __**Adversio**__. To reverse the effects of the spell, the bespelled object must meet its opposite._

The quiet aisle was interrupted, when I heard a muffled, "ha!" I looked up to see Matilda standing next to me. I assumed she had finished her work because now she was smiling, "Let's go to dinner!" She said excitedly. Mattie took off towards the end of the bookshelf.

"Hey, look at this first." I said showing her the page I had just read.

She looked over the page. "That's an interesting spell, but I'm hungry!" She whined.

I put the book back where I found it and dragged my starving friend to the Great Hall. We sat down at the Ravenclaw table and Scorpius waved at me from the Gryffindor table. I waved to him and Rose, who noticed I came in. Albus was staring hard at his food and was tempted to call out to him, "Hiya, Albus!" The boy in question looked up, realized I was the one who called him, and surprisingly he gave me a small wave.

"I thought Albus didn't like you much," Matilda said stuffing her face with chicken.

"It surprised me, too." I said thoughtfully.

My musings were interrupted by a resounding clap. All of the students in the Great Hall looked up at the Head Mistress. "Students, as the end of the school year is drawing closer and disagreements have become more abundant, I would like to promote house unity." Professor McGonagall continued her speech, but I zoned out a plan forming in my head.

After a couple of minutes, another clap sounded and chatter started up again. "Mattie, would you like to do a prank?" I asked impishly.

She mirrored my look, "what do you have in mind?"

"Meet me in the library, when you're finished," I replied leaving the table and making my way to the aforementioned room.

Within ten minutes, Matilda found me huddled at a back table encircled by books. I had the green one I had gone through earlier opened in front of me and the text book for fourth year charms propped up behind it. The other books included: _Curses and Counter-Curses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying, and Much, Much More)_ by Professor Vindictus Viridian_, Guide to Advanced Transfiguration, _and _Achievements in Charming._

"Okay," she said sizing up the books, "what's the plan?"

"Well, like McGonagall, I feel Hogwarts needs to work on house unity," I said in mature tone. She gave me a doubtful look. I dropped the informative manner and explained the steps of the prank. "Using the opposite spell I found earlier, the rest of these books," I motioned to my immediate surroundings, "and your help, we might be able to make the Slytherin and Gryffindor houses switch."

She gave me a questioning look, "what about Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff?"

"Well, since a good size portion of Ravenclaw thinks they are better than Hufflepuff, I thought we could do the same to our house and theirs."

She nodded, "what do you need me to do?"

"Since your good at putting time limits on spells, you can make the spell only last twenty-four hours."

"Fine by me, but I need the original counter-curse." I handed over the book, "hmm…there isn't a counter-curse, but it says 'To reverse the effects of the spell, the bespelled object must meet its opposite.' It'll take a little longer without a counter-curse to work with." She said thinking out loud. Mattie gave me back the book, "what are you going to do?"

"Work on the transfiguration part of the prank. Hopefully, we can finish this before the end of the week."

The following days were spent in complete silence, unless we asked to borrow a book from the other. Funnily, Matilda and I announced at the same time that we were finished. "Now, to put it together," Mattie said handing me her research.

"We can set it up tonight." I told her filing the information in my bag.

She began putting away books, "I think we need to find some way to tell the school it only lasts twenty-four hours."

I agreed, "We could have notes appear after the person is changed."

"Yeah, we could ask the house elves to have the notes appear on the table when the food comes." Matilda brainstormed.

"That'll work, since we are casting the spell over the doorway." I looked at the clock in the library, "I got to go to Astronomy." I told her hurrying to the door.

"I'll work on the note." She called after me.

The class period went by quickly, and I met Matilda in our dorm room, "Hey, Mattie."

"Hi," she replied as she finished writing something, "I just finished the note. I made it into a poem," Mattie handed me the paper.

_To The Noble Houses of Hogwarts,_

_Gryffindor: the brave and chivalrous,_

_Ravenclaw: the witty and studious,_

_Hufflepuff: the kind and generous,_

_And Slytherin: the cunning and ambitious,_

_We are proud to announce, it is opposite day_

_For the next four and twenty hours,_

_The Lion and the Snake,_

_Two different sides of a sickle,_

_The Eagle and the Badger,_

_As different as fire and water,_

_Will join together to find their other half._

I read my friends writing and asked, "Would you like to do the honors?" I asked suggesting she be the one to deliver the poem to the house elves.

"Sure, curfew is at ten. I think we should get ready to set up around 11:30."

Late that night, Matilda and I went are separate ways, her to the kitchen and me to the Great Hall. Since the kitchen were easy to get to from the Ravenclaw tower, Mattie didn't have to worry much about being caught. I, on the other hand, had to sneak past a set of prefects and two teachers to get to my destination.

It took some time to set up the opposite spell and Mattie's time limit spell. I was admiring my handy work, when I was interrupted, "What are you doing?" Albus was giving me a suspicious look.

"I was appreciating the craftsmanship of the door to the Great Hall," I said matter-of-factly with a slight undercurrent of sarcasm.

Unfortunately, he picked up on it, and responded with a similar tone, "Yes, the Victorian inspired woodwork is breathtaking."

I gave him an incredulous look, "what are you doing down here after curfew?"

"Sleep walking?" He said it more as a question than a statement. By his face, I could tell he was hiding something. Before I could interrogate Albus, we heard a voice.

"I think I hear something over here, my dear." I heard the voice of Hogwarts caretaker coming closer.

"Crap," I looked for somewhere to hide. Albus seemed to realize the immediate danger of being caught and shoved me into an alcove. I gave an outraged huff and he shushed me.

"I think it's safe, now." He said listening for any sign of the caretaker. Albus and I walked out of the alcove. I was working on straightening my clothes that had become rumbled when I was forced into the alcove.

"Stop! What are you doing out after curfew?" We both turned and saw two prefects. I mumbled a couple of choice words. The prefects scrutinized Albus and then switched their glances to me. I realized what it looked like: a boy and girl out of bed after hours, coming out of a secluded place, my rumbled clothes, and Albus' messy hair. Oh joy; when Hogwarts finds out about this, they'll have a field day. And to make things better, the brown haired prefect handed out our punishment, "Detention, tomorrow." He gave us a disapproving look, "seriously, can't you snog each other before curfew or at least in your common room. Now go to bed," He dismissed us and began walking away his partner hurrying after him.

I looked at Albus, furious that he had gotten me caught. "If you hadn't come down to the Great Hall, I wouldn't have gotten detention." I said poking him sharply in the chest. He gave me a slightly apologetic look, but it was obvious he was going to make a comment of me already breaking school rules on my own. I cut him off with another jab and stomped away.


	13. Opposites Attract

I ended up getting to my dorm room after Mattie. She was already asleep and as soon as I climbed into bed, I was too.

The next morning I woke up to Lela, Mariah, and Patrice surrounding my bed practically screaming at me. After a few fuzzy seconds, I could make out what they were saying.

"You are _so_ lucky!" Lela gushed.

"Are you engaged?" Mariah asked, "Can I come to your wedding?"

Neither of these comments made much sense to me, but Patrice cleared it up, "You're dating Albus Potter." She said it as an accusation.

"Huh?" I stared dumbly.

"Step back, give her some space," Matilda ordered shooing the girls from our dorm room. When Lela, Mariah, and Patrice left the room, Mattie sat at the end of my bed. "Okay, there are a lot of rumors going around about you and Albus. Some of them include you being _secretly_ engaged to him."

"What?" I asked outraged.

"I knew it wasn't true." She said to calm me. "What happened?" She asked curiously.

"I ran into him, after I finished setting up the prank." Remembering the reason for me being up so late last night, I shot up out of bed and into the bathroom. Mattie followed me and I continued, "Then, we heard a voice, so Albus shoved me into an alcove. The person passed and we came out only to discover two prefects." She gave me a shocked look. "Then the prefect made a comment about snogging after curfew and gave us detention."

"My God!" She exclaimed, "Well, news like that will spread like wildfire." Mattie gave me a sorry look and left me to finish getting ready.

After twenty minutes and a shower, I appeared in the room again. On my bed was a folded note. I looked questioningly at Matilda.

"An owl just delivered it," she said flipping through a magazine.

I opened it:

_Gemini Black,_

_You will serve your detention tonight. Arrive promptly in the library at 8 o'clock._

_Deputy Head Master,_

_Professor Stillwell_

"What is it?" Mattie asked looking for something more interesting then what she was reading.

"It's about my detention." I said as I finished tying my shoes.

"Ready to see our prank in action?" She asked.

"Let's go!" I said eagerly.

We headed to the Great Hall and watched our clothing change to Hufflepuff attire. Sharing a smile, we walked to the Ravenclaw table which was full of what appeared to be angry looking Hufflepuffs. Dropping the smile, we sat across from Scorpius.

He gave us a knowing look, "Nice work," he said admiring his robes.

We all laughed, but turned quiet when the Ravenclaws turned to look at us. I took this time to examine the other tables. The majority of Gryffindors and Slytherins were looking repulsed at their clothing. The Hufflepuffs were all laughing not really caring about their outfit change. I turned my attention to the teachers' table. Professor McGonagall started reading the poem in a loud voice. A nostalgic expression appeared on her face and she only said one thing, "this wasn't exactly what I meant, when I said unity." Then, McGonagall started eating again. I couldn't help, but start laughing.

Soon after this, Rose joined our threesome at the Ravenclaw table. I noticed Albus was behind her and Scorpius asked, "How does it feel to be Slytherins?"

Observing our smiles, she realized we were the ones who had done the prank. Chuckling, she sat down next to Scorpius and attempted to chastise us, "You guys."

Albus was still standing behind her, "Hello," he said hesitantly looking directly at me. I gave him a dirty look and got up to storm off again. He called after me cautiously, "I guess I'll see you in detention." I gave him a contemptuous glare and headed for my first class.

The day passed quickly and sadly, the time for my detention came. I headed to the library wearing a black shirt that read Hufflepuff in big yellow letters. The spell changed all of student body's clothing into something related to the opposite house. I arrived before Albus and hung out by Madam Prince's desk waiting.

Within five minutes, Albus had come in and Prince began to tell us what we had to do, "Organize all of the books on the carts and put them on their correct shelves. Then, dust all of the shelves. Don't you dare use _Aguamenti_. Water destroys books and isn't good for wood, either." She stared distrusting, "If either of you ruin even one book, I will have you expelled." With that she left, and I burst out laughing.

Albus gave me a funny look, and I told him, "I don't think we can be expelled for ruining a book." I controlled my giggles, "come on. Let's get to work." I headed to one of the carts and he followed.

"I guess the spell work from earlier," he pointed to his shirt. It had a picture of a coiled green snake, "was your doing."

"Mattie was in on it, too," I said trying to remember the dusting spell I had learned about in Muggle studies. We had been comparing magic to the muggle way. Luckily, I remembered it and watched as all of the bookshelves miraculously become clean without harming any of the books.

"Oh," was his reply. He started alphabetizing a stack of books.

We worked in silence for almost an hour and most of the books were put away. I was already bored, and I had a heavy book in my hands. "Catch," I said to Albus. I tossed the book at him, but instead of catching it, the book hit him in the head. It knocked him over, "Oops," I hurried to his side, "Are you okay?" He seemed dazed, but he nodded. Suddenly, a student rushed passed me and knocked me over. I ended up landing on top of Albus. He gave me a concerned look, and I just laughed. My laughter caught in my throat, when I realized how close we were to each other. He seemed to discover this at the same time. "Umm…" I said trying to stand up, but I just fell on him again. Without warning, he lifted his head and brought his lips to mine. The kiss was gentle and I felt him pull away. I stared dumbstruck. When I registered what just happened, I jumped to my feet. Involuntarily, my fingers touched my lips, "you stole my first kiss." I ran from the library and up the stairs to the entrance of the Ravenclaw tower.

"I am a three digit number. My tens digit is five more than my ones digit. My hundreds digit is eight less than my tens digit. What number am I?" The bronze knocker asked.

I, hurriedly, began thinking out loud, "eight less than my tens digit. Well, the second number can't be ten or eight. Eight minus eight is zero which wouldn't be more five more than anything. So, I would assume that the second number would be nine. Nine minus five is four, so the ones digit is four. That would make the hundreds digit one." I looked at the eagle, "The answer is: 194." When I was in the safety of the tower, I sat down on the couch by the fire and replayed the kiss in my head.

"Hey, Gemma," Scorpius greeted me from one of the side chairs, "How'd you get your clothes to change back before the deadline?" I looked at my shirt. Instead of blazing 'Hufflepuff', it read 'Ravenclaw' in blue.

My brain chose this moment to recite, "_To reverse the effects of the spell, the bespelled object must meet its opposite._" And then my rational side reasoned, "Opposites attract."


	14. Hedgehog in a Hamster Wheel

The next couple of days were very hectic. End of the year exams had arrived along with apparition testing. During this time, I didn't see Albus once. He seemed to be doing a good job of avoiding me. Strangely, this kind of upset me. I mean, the guy kisses me and then I never see him again. It's probably a good thing, I told myself, if he did come and talk to me I'd have no idea what to say to him.

"Gem, hurry up. We have to get to the Great Hall for Apparition." Rose called to me. Somehow, I had gotten far behind Rose and Scorpius. We had been walking together from the Transfiguration classroom. Besides apparition, that was our final test.

"I'm coming," I jogged a little to catch up with them and then went back to my own thoughts. I hadn't told anyone I already knew how to apparate. I went over all the information in my head that I'd need for the written test. Scorp, Rosie, and I all arrived at the Great Hall with barely enough time to get inside.

"Hello, students, as you know we will be taking the apparition final." An older man from the ministry informed the group of sixth years. "First, you will take the written test and then we will score you individually on your apparating ability. Good luck." With that paper appeared in front of us. After what seemed like hours, I had finished my test quickly, the ministry official announced, "times up." The papers disappeared, "we will go in alphabetical order." The guy went through the first names on the list rapidly. We watched as the students came up. A couple of students successfully transported themselves to their given location. Unfortunately, one girl almost splinched herself and another one was so scared she fainted. After that, it was my turn. "Black, Gemini." I walked up to the man, "I would like you to apparate to Hogsmeade and back. We have a person waiting for you near Honeydukes. Can you do that?" The man gave me a questioning look as though he thought I might do something similar to the girls before me. I gave him a smile and went Pop!

When I opened my eyes, I was standing on the sidewalk in front of Honeydukes. I looked around for who I was supposed to talk to and found a young woman standing by the big display window. She had a sign propped up beside her. "Hello, I'm Gemini Black." I told her.

She looked up at me, "Good job." She wrote something on the paper in her hand, "You can go back now." I nodded and she went back to a stack of papers she had next to her. I looked at the candy shop and decided I could spare a couple of minutes. Fifteen minutes later, I arrived back in the Great Hall, in the exact place I left, with a stack of candy in my arms.

"What took you so long?" The man asked when he heard me appear, "Wilkinson had you marked off long ago."

"I got hungry." I responded popping a Bertie Botts Every Flavor Bean in my mouth, "Awesome, caramel." I told him walking back to my seat. He gave me a slightly angry look, but didn't say anything other than the next name.

An hour later, we were let out of the Hall and I left to go to the common room. There seemed to be a party going on in the room, so I went looking for so peace and quiet. My first thought was my dorm room, but then I saw Patrice going up there so I ruled that out. I left and started walking around the school. Everywhere was filled with people and when I walked passed a window, it was raining outside. So, I wasn't having any luck. Then I remembered about the Room of Requirement. Mattie's parents told her about it and how to find it, so I knew where to look.

I made my way to the seventh floor and paced the hallway three times, "I need a place I can hear myself think."

The door appeared and inside was a spacious room that had a fireplace, a rug and a couple of chairs. I dropped myself down in one and closed my eyes contently. After a couple of minutes, I reopened my eyes wondering what I should do. The Room took this as an opportunity to vanish everything in the room except for the fireplace.

From my new position on the ground, I watched as a small hamster ball appeared along with short ramps on the walls. "A hamster ball," I heard myself think. It took me a little while to realize what I could use it for. I transformed myself into a hedgehog and got inside the ball. After awhile, I got use to the rolling of the ball and started racing across the room, up the ramps, and down again. I got caught up in this and blindly ran into something. I lifted my short head and looked up to see Albus standing in the room. When he felt me hit him, he looked down at me. "A hedgehog?" He reached down and picked up the ball. I scrunched myself as far back as I could. Albus reached inside the ball to get me out, so I lifted my quills and poked him. The ball dropped fast and I became dazed when I crashed to the ground.

"Stupid hedgehog," I heard him say. I glared indignantly at him and heard him say a few cuss words. I jumped back, when I noticed his lips weren't moving.

"What in the world." I said, but it came out as a squeak.

"Great my fingers bleeding," came from Albus, but again his lips weren't moving.

I came out of the ball and slowly approached him. "Squeak," I said looking at him. What I was actually saying was, "serves you right."

He sat down on the floor in front of me. "Sorry, if I scared you little guy." This time I noticed his lips were moving, but I was puffing at him for calling me a guy. "What are you doing in here?"

"I was having fun, until you barged in," which came out, as a series of squeaks. I contemplated changing back into myself, but I decided against because then he would know I was Animagus.

Suddenly he got up, and looked around the room. The ramps and ball vanished and was replaced by a hamster wheel and colorful tubes for rodents to walk around in. He tried to pick me up, but I ruffled my quills at him. So, instead he picked up the hamster wheel and put it next to me. I looked from him to the wheel to him again. "Never been in a hamster wheel?" he asked me, "I had a hamster when I was eight, but it died before I came to Hogwarts." He seemed to think I didn't know what the wheel was for, so he asked the room for a human-sized hamster wheel. It was a strange sight, watching Albus walking around in a hamster wheel. After a couple of turns, he got off and looked at me again. I decided to humor him and I got on the smaller wheel. I, slowly, turned the wheel and after about ten turns I fell out dizzy. He came over and scooped me up. "Apparently, hamster wheels aren't good for hedgehogs." Even in my current state, I noticed that I couldn't see his lips forming the words. I almost poked him again in surprise, but I caught myself before I did.

The wheel disappeared like the ball and chairs appeared. He sat down and put me on the arm rest. The spinning had stopped so I took the time to look at Albus. He looked really confused. His black hair was a mess and his glasses were sliding down the bridge of his nose.

All at once, a humongous noise came out of know where. It seemed as though Albus was carrying on six conversations at once. I looked at him questioningly, "Squeak?"

"I was thinking." I gave him a thinking-about-what look, "I was thinking about a lot of things."

I heard a distinct voice say, "Nice, I'm talking to an animal." It sounded like Albus, but it couldn't have been him because he was saying something else. I glanced around the room, but I didn't see anybody else. The whole hearing voices thing was starting to bother me. There had to be a reasonable explanation, I thought to myself. I went through logical steps: what had happened, who had come in to the room, what was said. Then it dawned on me, I had asked the room for a place I could hear myself think. The Room must have made it so I can hear what people are thinking. After the initial shock, I thought: Cool!

While I was thinking, I didn't realize Albus had started talking again. "I think I passed my Care of Magical Creatures Class, but I probably will fail Astronomy." He sighed, "I haven't seen her since breakfast." This caught my attention and I moved myself closer to him. Albus seemed to forget I was there because he jumped when my quills touched his arm. "Do you want to know about her? I seemed to have bored Rose talking about her." I laid down waiting for him to continue. He hesitated, "there is this girl in my year I have a crush on. She's got long, dark hair. It's kind of wavy, but it's hard to tell because she always has it pulled into a pony tail. She's a good student and friends with my two best friends. She loves to pull pranks, and I accidentally got her a detention. It was embarrassing, but kind of funny because the prefects thought we had been snogging. She was mad at me, but I think she forgave me by the time our detention came around. We had to clean the library. She threw a book at me and knocked me over. Then, she got pushed over on top of me." He paused, "I kissed her, which I guess was a bad idea because she ran away." He sighed, "And since then, I have been hiding out in here avoiding her." I guess that explains why I never saw him. "The worst thing about the entire situation is that she fancies my friend, Scorpius." I never knew he thought that and I was so taken aback, I fell over into his lap. The sudden movement caused me to switch back to my human form. So, I sat on Albus' lap as myself. Completely mortified, I jumped up and tried to get away. Albus grabbed my wrist, and gave me a confused, "huh?"

"Uh, uh…I'm an Animagus." I said.

He released my wrist; "I just told you…" he trailed off.

I took this lapse to escape. "I got to go," I said hurriedly sprinting to the door. I continued running even after I left the Room of Requirement. About two floors down, I ran face first into someone. "I'm sorry," I looked up to see what I had run into and saw Professor McGonagall. "I didn't see you, Professor."

She looked a little ruffled, but said, "It's quite alright, Miss Black. I was actually looking for you. I have a summer job for you, but I have a meeting to get to so I will tell you more about it later." McGonagall started walking again, but turned back, "You know, Miss Black, you should stop running away." I just stared at her as she continued walking away.


	15. A Flying Beetle

The summer months sped by quickly and I enjoyed the job McGonagall had arranged for me. I was an in-home nanny for two young boys: Robert, who was two years old, and Geoffrey, who was three months. The job was monotonous, so I had plenty of time to think about Albus, which I tried really hard not to do. One unexpected thing happened early in August; a letter arrived from my aunt.

_Dear Gemma,_

_I know you haven't heard from me since Winter Break. I'm sorry that I didn't contact you sooner, but I wasn't ready to confess everything about our family. I called upon Professor McGonagall, who informed me of your whereabouts after I explained how we were related. She told me that you could leave the Wilkinsons' house a week earlier than planned and spend the rest of the summer at the Malfoy Manor. I'm leaving the decision up to you, but I would love for you to come. Please reply soon._

_Love,_

_Aunt Narcissa_

When I finished reading the letter, I yearned to go now and hear about my family. I ended up settling for an excitedly written Yes!

A couple of weeks later I endured another stomach-churning ride on the knight bus. It stopped in front of the Malfoy Manor and Lisa Griffith announced we had arrived.

I nervously stepped off the bus and walked towards the gate. Hesitantly, I pushed on the gates which swung open without a sound. When I got to the door, it opened before I could even knock.

"Hello, Miss Gemma." A small house-elf stood next to the door.

"Um…hello," it was the first time I had ever seen an actual house-elf.

"My name is Jip. Please come in, Mrs. Malfoy is waiting for you in the parlor." She scuffled towards a door down the hall. I hurried after her and she motioned for me to enter.

The room was extremely quiet, but the silence was interrupted by Mrs. Malfoy greeting me and telling me to sit down. Inside the room was another lady. She looked similar to Mrs. Malfoy, but her hair was grey with a small amount of black strands showing through. "Gemma, this is Andromeda Tonks, Bella and my sister."

The older lady named Andromeda stared at me almost expressionless. "You look exactly like her when she was younger," I couldn't identify the look she gave me, but it didn't look glad. She turned her gaze to the floor and sipped some tea.

"I'm so glad you came," Mrs. Malfoy said.

"Thanks for inviting me. How is Scorpius?" We continued our small talk for several minutes without any intrusion from Andromeda.

"Cissy," Andromeda said quietly, but clearly.

Mrs. Malfoy caught Andromeda's look and turned towards me, "Oh, yes. We must start talking of the reason I invited you," I looked at her expectantly. "Bellatrix was the oldest of the three of us. We grew up in high class society. Our mother Druella, Rosier was her maiden name, was a young socialite when she met our father, Cygnus Black. She fell for him quickly because of his tall stature, dark brooding features, and social standing. He saw her as a young woman, who would be an acceptable wife. A few months after their wedding, our mother lost all of her feelings for our father. She hoped it would return when she gave birth to an heir, but unluckily she had Bella first.

Our father developed a short temper, which grew even shorter two years later. This was when Andromeda was born. Our father saw his chances of having a son dwindling, and took to staying out late and rarely coming home. When he did," she paused, "he was drunk. When Bella was eight, the abuse started. At first, it was just verbal and aimed at our mother. Then, it became physical. He would hit our mother and Bella couldn't stand it. Once, she tried to stop him, but he smacked her to the ground. After that, our mother told Bellatrix to go to Andromeda whenever our father started and to stay there until she came to get them.

A while later, our mother found out she was pregnant again. She became really worried that the beating would hurt the baby. She was right and since her body was covered with bruises, she didn't go to St. Mungo's. About 8 ½ months into the pregnancy, our father brutally struck her and knocked her down a set of stairs. She went into labor and gave birth, surprisingly, to twins, one was me, and the other baby was a stillborn." I looked at both women. They had tears in their eyes as though they were reliving their mother's experience. "It was a boy. Our father blamed our mother for the loss of his heir. When I was about one, the ministry decided to promote our father because of his _family_ values. He was directly under the minister and for seven years we took up the role as a happy family.

During this time, Bella went to Hogwarts. When she was at school, she worried about our mother, Andy, and me. Then after her graduation, Voldemort began his uprising." At the name, both women flinched slightly. Andromeda's lined face grew sad and more guarded. "Our father quickly sided with Voldemort and when the minister tried to pacify the Wizarding world, our father's short temper would flare up again. The minister said he would not stand by while a madman tried to destroy the world. He ordered random house searches of ministry members. Two months later, our home was searched and incriminating evidence was found. Our father was demoted to a desk job and our home-life started tumbling. Soon, our mother was beaten into compliance, but she always told Bellatrix to take care of us.

A year after Bella left Hogwarts, our father decided to locate a suitor for her. He hoped if he could marry her off well, he could regain his place in society. Bella saw it as her duty to stay and protect Andy and I, so she told our father no. At this sign of disrespect, he hit her. This first time, he just walked away from her, but she continued to strike out against him. Each time it got worst, until one time he didn't strike her just smirked.

For days nothing happened, and when Andy was in her seventh year, she started dating a muggleborn boy named Ted Tonks. Bella had been helping keep the relationship a secret and one day our father caught Andy with a letter from Ted." I heard a loud sob come from Andromeda. I looked at her concerned, but I didn't say anything. "He slapped her across her face. Bella, who was in the hallway, heard a muffled sound and some yelling. Our father told Andy that she was never to even look at Ted again and dragged her up by her hair. Bellatrix walked in as our father was about to hit Andy again. When he noticed Bella, he took this time to teach her a lesson. Our father said 'You don't seem to learn if I punish you, but maybe if you see how your evilness effects your sister's you'll learn. If you had been a good girl and married a pure-blood boy, I wouldn't even have to worry about Andromeda. But no,' He took this time to hit Andy again to prove his point. Bellatrix flinched and when he brought his hand close to Andy's face to hit her again, she said she would marry if he would just stop. Pleased with his progress, he left a sobbing Andy on the floor and a quivering Bella in the doorway."

Andromeda interrupted Mrs. Malfoy, "That night, Bella set it up for me to run away to Teddy's house. Ted and I got married right after graduation. Bella snuck into the wedding through the back, but she disappeared before I could to talk to her." She got up, "I'll be right back." Andromeda left the parlor and I was left with Mrs. Malfoy.

When Andromeda left, Mrs. Malfoy looked carefully at me, "we are telling you this story, so you will understand what happened during the first and second war."

"What happened?" I inquired.

"I'll tell the next part, Cissy." Andromeda said entering the room again and Mrs. Malfoy nodded. "Bellatrix was married to Rodolphus Lestrange a month after I got married. Rodolphus never hurt Bella, but our father watched her closely after I had run away. Cissy went to Hogwarts and spent her summers with Bella. She told our father that she was learning how to be a good wife." She said with a sad laugh. "All during this time, the first war was raging. Rodolphus was a supporter of Voldemort, like our father, and because of him Bella got stuck in deep on the wrong side of the war. She was one of the highest ranking Death Eaters." My eyes widened when I heard her say this, "It surprised me when I found out. I discovered the reason why she moved so far up in the ranks, after the end of the second war." She paused for a second and sipped her tea. "The years of abuse, she witnessed and endured, had caused her to develop a type of split personality. With the other personality, she could handle everything she was put through. She would go into blind fits of rage, where she wouldn't even be aware of what she was doing. It tore her apart and that only made it worse.

During those times," she hesitated, "she murdered people." I shook my head not sure of what to say. "This included our cousin, Sirius Black, and my daughter, Nymphadora." Andromeda stopped talking.

Mrs. Malfoy continued, "It was rough living through both wars. We all lost loved-ones. On the night of the final battle, Molly Weasley dueled with your mother and Bella lost."

I instantly understood what she meant, "but I was born years after the second war ended." Mrs. Malfoy told me about the spell and I stared at her dumbfounded.

"My mom was a horrible person." I said relatively calmly, "and you should hate me," I told Andromeda.

"No, she wasn't." Andromeda said decisively, "she was a great person, just in a bad place. And, I don't hate you. I hate Voldemort and my father, never you." I looked at the older woman. "You are Bellatrix Lestrange's daughter, Narcissa's and my niece, and you will always be family no matter what happened in the past." I sat there quietly thinking about what Andromeda said. My thoughts were interrupted when a clock struck somewhere in the house, "I should go Cissy. Teddy and Victoire are bringing over Aimee." Andromeda said standing up and Mrs. Malfoy and I stood up, also. I looked down at the floor as Andromeda hugged her sister feeling out of place. I saw a beetle on the rug next to the chair. It looked old and its coloring was dull. I bent over to pick it up and it flew out the window. I looked away from the bug to see Andromeda standing in front of me. I was surprised to see her there, and even more startled when she wrapped me in a hug. "Come see me before the end of summer." I nodded still kind of dazed, "It was nice to meet you. Bye, Gemma." She started towards the door.

"Good bye, Mrs. Tonks."

Andromeda turned around, "You can call me your Aunt, instead of Mrs. Tonks."


	16. Feathers

_The Lestranges Live!_

_Reporting: Margot Goddard_

_The name Lestrange strikes fear into the hearts of many people in the Wizarding Community. Bellatrix Black, eldest daughter of Druella Rosier and Cygnus Black, married Rodolphus Lestrange during the First War. The vicious couple was thought to have no children, but recent information has been uncovered._

_We are unaware of the circumstance, but eight years after Harry Potter's victory over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, a daughter was born to the Lestrange Family. The Daily Prophet has discovered that the Lestrange daughter is a seventh year Hogwarts student. We are currently uninformed of her house or name, but our newest (reinstated) reporter, Rita Skeeter, and her protégé, Margot Goddard, are in pursuit of all information involving the Lestrange heir._

_The question on everyone's mind: Is this girl going to be as horrible as her predecessors? I think we can positively say Yes! Cont. A3_

I threw the newspaper down in exasperation and it was only the first official day of school. Scorpius picked the pages up out of his breakfast and scanned the offending article. "How'd they find out?" I muttered, so only Scorpius and I could hear.

He shook his head and in the same hushed tone said, "I don't know. Grandma said that they were going to wait until after graduation to say anything." Before school started, Aunt Narcissa told Scorpius a cliff-notes version of what happened. She wanted me to have an ally at school and Scorpius, who already thought of me as a little sister, was glad to have a relative close to his age.

Scorpius knew I was taking the news of what my parents had done hard, "Hey, maybe nobody will notice." He tried to reassure me. "Come on, classes are going to start soon."

We got up to leave and I heard someone say my name, "Gemma! Hey, wait up!" I turned to see a short, brown-haired boy hurrying towards me. Scorpius told me he had to talk to Professor Flitwick, and I told him I'd talk to him later.

By this time, the boy had caught up with me. "Hello, Hugo. How's your first day as a Gryffindor?" I asked. Hugo and I became fast friends, ever since I had first talked to him during Winter Break.

He told me what classes he had, "I have Transfiguration first," and the kids he knew from his year, "this one girl told me that Wizard's Chess was violent!" He said it as though she had insulted him.

We talked animatedly as we went towards Transfiguration. "I'm worried about Transfiguration. My dad always sucked at Transfiguration and my mum was really into studying. I hate to study. Don't you?" I barely had time to nod before he began his rant again. He was getting to the point of hysterics.

"Hugo," I said trying to calm him.

"If I fail one class, it's only a matter of time before I fail all my classes. If-"

I put my hands on his shoulders and turned him so he faced me. "Stop with the What ifs. You will do fine in all of your classes. I can be your tutor, if you ever need one." After a couple of seconds, he calmed down. _Wow, imagine how he'll handle N.E.W.T.s._ "You better get to class." I said ushering him towards the door, "see you at lunch."

He waved as he walked into class and I hurried towards N.E.W.T.s Ancient Runes.

Professor Becker had little control over Ancient Runes class. Every one was busy talking about the front page of the Daily Prophet.

"I bet she's in Slytherin," a Hufflepuff boy said.

"That's the only place she could be. Her mother killed her own family members." A Gryffindor girl said shuttering at the thought.

Scorpius kept glancing at me to see how I was taking it, and surprisingly I kept my face blank during the class. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"Let's talk about something else." He nodded agreement, "How are you and Rose?" He blushed. "Well?"

"Um…" Scorpius stammered. "I…"

"Class Dismissed." Becker interrupted letting the group go without homework.

Scorpius hurried out of the class thinking he got out of answering. "Oh, no, you don't." I said running after him.

----

Lunch was a fascinating experience. Scorpius, who had somehow managed to avoid me since Ancient Runes, was sitting between Rose and Albus. When I saw Albus, I mentally struggled to keep myself from blushing while the memory of the kiss ran through my head. I glanced around the Great Hall, but Mattie was nowhere in sight. 'Decisions, decisions," I thought as I decided where to sit. After moments of deliberation, I walked up to the Gryffindor table.

"Any room for me?" I asked nonchalantly.

"Hey, Gem." Rose said pulling herself out of a conversation with Scorpius. "Of course, there's room for you. Albus, scoot over and make room for Gemma." He did as he was told, but the look on his face clearly said that he wanted to run out of the Hall.

Trying to make conversation, I said, "So, Scorp, where have you been hiding all day?" He gave me a meaningful look before turning towards Rose.

With him trying to ignore me and Rose being oblivious, my only other source for conversation was sitting to my left. Albus was dressed in the normal Hogwarts attire minus the Gryffindor tie. His hair messy as always, surprisingly, had feathers in it. Unable to stop my OCD, I started pulling the feathers out of his hair. He jumped when he felt me touch his hair, and I shrunk back. "Sorry, you had something in your hair." I said, angry at myself for sounding so nervous.

"Um…" he looked at me, "its okay."

My uncontrollable hand reached out to continue removing the feathers, but I stopped and said, "You still have feathers in your hair."

"Oh," he ran his hand through his hair. He caught my questioning glance and explained, "We were reviewing _Wingardium Leviosa_ in Charms, and the kid behind me made his pillow blow up. I guess I didn't notice that I had been attacked with the pillow's insides." Albus paused with a contemplative face, "it would explain the weird looks I've been getting since second class." I giggled, and he smiled, but then he remembered what had happen in the Room of Requirements and the library, and the smile faded.

We settled into an uncomfortable silence that was interrupted by a shrill voice from across the table. On the other side of the table were three girls, two Gryffindor and one Hufflepuff. All three of the girls were giving Scorpius and Albus lustful looks and glaring daggers at Rose and me. The Hufflepuff, who seemed to be the ring leader said, "Albee, did you read the Daily Prophet this morning?" I felt my stomach sink. Albus didn't reply, but she continued without stopping. "Apparently, there's a Lestrange girl attending Hogwarts." There were collective gasps from the two Gryffindor girls flanking on either side of her. They acted as though this was the first time they had heard the news, but I was sure the girls had been gossiping about it earlier. Albus still didn't say anything. "I think that the girl should be sent to Azkaban when they find her, and of course she should be expelled from Hogwarts. I mean, she probably is trying to rekindle the reign of He-Who-Should-Not-Be-Named." The Hufflepuff's lackeys adopted terrified looks and nodded in agreement. She continued trashing me, and I just sat there trying not to look upset.

Finally Albus said something, "You shouldn't judge somebody you've never met because of what their parents did!" His voice was irritated and the tone shut up the jabbering girls. Scorpius, who tuned into the conversation at its end, just gave me a sympathetic look.

"Gem, you haven't eaten anything. Are you feeling okay? You're a bit pale." Rose interrupted with a motherly tone not realizing what had made me lose my appetite. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Albus watching me like he was trying to figure something out.

My brain wasn't functioning, but it was obvious she was expecting an answer, "I'm feeling a little sick to my stomach."

"Do you want me to take to the Hospital Wing?" Rose asked concerned. I noticed Albus was still looking at me, but after a couple of seconds he seemed to realize the answer to whatever he was thinking.

"No," I said improvising. Mostly, I just wanted to get out of the room. "I have free period after lunch. I think I'll just go take a nap." Moving quickly, I jumped to my feet. I left so quickly, that I didn't notice someone coming out after me.


	17. Changelings

Emy Note: I am extremely sorry for not updating sooner. My computer broke and it wasn't until recently that I got a new one. Please forgive me.

----

"Lestrange!" I heard a voice call, and I stopped before I realized what the person had said. "I knew you would respond to that."

I didn't recognize the voice, so I slowly turned around an excuse of why I had stopped playing on my lips. "Lysander?" I said shocked.

"Yes," the blonde haired boy answered. "I knew you were their daughter." He didn't say it accusingly more like he was discussing the weather.

"I am not." I tried to sound convincing, but my voice fell short.

"You are, too."

"I don't even know who the Lestranges are," I said with more conviction.

"I know that," he responded as though he was upset that I thought he hadn't known. "You are a Lestrange though."

"What? How can I be the daughter of people I have never met?"

"Changelings!" He said excitedly like it was the answer to everything.

"Changelings?" I was completely lost.

"Yep, Irish fairies," the blank look hadn't left my face. "Changelings are the children of fairies. When they are born, the children are deformed and sickly. Fairies are proud creatures, and their unsightly offspring offend them. " I nodded not grasping where Lysander was going. "So, the fairies switch their children with mortal children. The children they leave behind are changelings, and their health problems cause them to die at an early age. No one knows what happens to the mortal children taken, but occasionally one of them appears randomly without any memory of living with the fairies. This is why you don't know your parents!" He sounded pleased with his research. "Now, you must be curious as to why your birth date is eight years after your mother's death." I was dumbstruck, and Lysander took my silence as curiosity. "I have found that answer, also. While living with fairies, the child doesn't age at its normal rate. So, even though eight years passed, you would have aged less than eight _days_ in comparison. Isn't that exciting?"

"No…"

"Why not?" He looked as though I gave him the worse news possible.

"I have to go." I told Lysander, but I still felt bad. "Thanks for the theory, Ly." His bright dreamy smile returned, and he skipped off. I rubbed my forehead trying to ward off a headache.

"Gemma!" Hugo stepped out of a room adjacent to the hall.

"How long have you been there? What did you hear?" I asked slightly hysterical.

"I heard something about changelings, but I couldn't figure out what you were talking about." I looked at him closely trying to see if he was telling the truth. Hugo had a questioning look on his face. "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost," he joked.

"I'm fine. I was just going to go take a nap."

"Oh, okay. I'm going to go meet Lizzie for lunch."

"Lizzie?" I inquired focusing on Hugo's life instead of my own.

"Yeah," he blushed, "the girl I was telling you about. The one that said Wizard's Chess was violent."

"I remember," I gave him a knowing smile. "So, you're friends now?" Trying to make him give me details, I asked, "What happened?"

"Well, I sent a letter to mum, and she said that she had the same opinion about Wizard's Chess." He made a face. "Mum also said I should give her a chance because everyone is entitled to their own opinions. And, well, she was my partner in Transfiguration, and Lizzie is wicked awesome at Transfiguration!" Hugo said praising his fellow first year. "I struggled a bit, but Lizzie was really patient. In a half hour, I could transfigure my match into a needle." He looked thoughtful, "It was hard to change it back again. Anyway, I asked her to sit by me at lunch." A pink tinge appeared on his cheeks again. "I should probably get going since I'm already running late."

"Okay, have fun! And, I want to hear all about it later!" I called after him. Hugo had lifted my mood, but Lysander's comments still occupied my mind. How did he figure out that I was their daughter? I mean, the whole changeling thing isn't true, but he must have had some reason for thinking I was the horrible Lestrange daughter in the first place. I shrugged and headed towards the Ravenclaw tower.

Surprisingly, a small group of Ravenclaws were standing outside the tower. "Why are you all standing out here?" I asked tiredly wishing I was already in my dormitory.

"Someone confunded the door knocker," a younger student said.

"Confunded? Someone charmed it?" I asked confused.

"Yeah," a fifth year student said, "Now, it just spouts nonsense riddles."

"None of us can figure out the answer to it," a studious young man said sulkily.

"What's the riddle?"

"Hee, hee," the eagle door knocker giggled. "Maybe you can solve it. Why wasn't John able to take a picture of his mum with curlers?"

"See, I told you it was utter nonsense." The fifth year said.

"Hmm, with curlers? Maybe it means literally with curlers." I ventured.

"Like instead of a camera?" A first year asked.

"Yeah, let's try it!" Three of the students yelled excitedly.

"Answer?" the eagle asked still giggling.

"He couldn't take a picture with curlers because you need a camera to take pictures, not curlers." The first year responded.

"Correct!" The passage opened and all of the Ravenclaws walked in.

"Who would charm our knocker?" I heard someone ask as I walked up the stairs. I figured that mystery could wait until another day.

Inside my dormitory, I collapsed on my bed hoping to fall asleep.

----

The students were all whispering and talking about something. From the animated chatter, it sounded important. "What are you all talking about?"

At the sound of my voice, most of my classmates started drifting away avoiding my gaze. A number of them seemed to be in a hurry to escape.

"Did something bad happen? Is anyone hurt?" I asked panicked.

Again, no one answered. Feeling chilled, I walked down the corridor trying to get away from the stares.

"Gemini?" I saw Hugo standing in front of me. "Why didn't you tell me? How could you? I trusted you, and so did my sister. Go away! I don't ever want to talk to you again." The end of his comment was said in a frigid voice.

"What did I do, Hugo?"

He didn't say anything just turned and walked away. I ran after him trying to make him answer me, but he disappeared as I rounded the corner.

I kept searching, but everyone who crossed my path, including Mattie, hurried away from me. Soon, I was all alone in a deserted hallway. Everything was silent, abnormally silent. The absence of noise pushed down on me like a thousand pound weight, and I ran blindly trying to get away from it. I tripped unexpectedly and fell face first onto the cold stone ground. My palms were scraped up and I could tell they were bleeding. It was getting dark, but I could see the unsteady shape of a person sitting on the floor.

"Hello, I'm sorry for tripping over you. I wasn't looking where I was going." The person's form started to tremble. "Do you know what's going on?" I heard a small sniffle. "Are you crying? Are you okay?"

The person started sobbing, "Go away! Haven't you done enough? Don't you know what they did to my family? Everything we lost?"

"Rose?" I questioned recognizing the voice through the crying.

"No!" She exclaimed and took down the hall just like her brother.

"Rose!" I called, but she didn't look back. What's happening? Why is everyone acting so strange? I asked myself taking the place Rose vacated on the floor. Her footsteps faded away.

For what seemed like hours, no one came down the corridor. Just as my stomach began to grumble, two male voices reverberated from down the hall.

I pulled myself tighter trying to become as small as possible as the voices got louder.

"I can't believe I liked her." That was Albus's voice; I recognized it at once.

"Me neither, mate." Scorpius! Maybe he can tell me what is going on.

"I kissed her." Albus confessed disgustedly.

"Seriously? I thought it was bad enough that she tainted my family name again, but you kissing her ack!"

"I know, I know. Luckily, Patrice agreed to still go out with me." Patrice? Albus is dating Patrice? I thought he liked me.

Oh, no! All of the conversation clicked into place. Albus and Scorpius were talking about me. Figuring that out, I knew I couldn't face them, so before they came into view, I got up and sprinted away. I rushed through the school not taking in my surroundings. It wasn't until the cold air hit my skin, that I realized I had run outside. Without stopping or slowing, I entered the forbidden forest. Night was coming faster and everything was cast into shadows. I was running out of breath, so I slowed down. To my left was a set of ancient ruins. A partial corner was still standing, and I positioned myself trying to block some of the wind. Shivering, I curled up into a ball, and cried myself to sleep.


	18. Ford Anglia and Twoway Mirrors

I awoke feeling gritty and uncomfortable. Opening my eyes, I noticed three things. First, I was not in my dorm where I feel asleep. I was somewhere outside. Second, it was nighttime. And third, my hands hurt.

"How'd I get here?" I asked out loud coming up with nothing, "And what happened to my hands?" My palms were scratched up and crusted with dry blood as though I had fallen on them. Even though they did not seem to be bleeding anymore, I took special care not to touch my hands to my clothing or anything else.

I did not recognize the ruin that I was leaning against, but I knew I was in a forest. Using my quick-witted Ravenclaw mind, I figured I was probably in the Forbidden Forest. I remembered reading about a new charm being performed on Hogwarts that kept the students from being taken off school property, including the Forest, without the headmaster's notification and permission. So, I was confident in believing that someone would be looking for me.

Next, I checked for my wand, but it was not in my pockets or on the ground around me. Amazingly being stranded in the Forest did not frighten me as much as not knowing how I had gotten there.

"Okay," imaging the forest location in my head, "what direction is Hogwarts in?" I had no idea. I remembered Ms. Scott at the orphanage reminding everyone that it was smarter to stay in one place whenever you got lost.

I stayed in the spot I woke up in for several minutes before I decided to explore my immediate surroundings. With an almost full moon, it was possible to see enough that I would not trip over my feet. Looking around I saw several larger ruins, some that more closely resembled buildings instead of just crumbled walls.

In the ruins, all I could find were broken pottery shards. I did not find anything else that was interesting, so I headed back to my original spot. Sitting down again, something reflective caught my eye behind a group of trees. I walked closer and realized it was a blue car.

The headlights flashed and the driver's side door opened. Startled, I jumped back, but the car followed. It emanated a feeling over curiosity and a desire to help. Deciding it was not dangerous, I scooted closer to the vehicle.

The blue car caused me to recall a story Hugo told me involving his dad and Harry Potter. It was something about crashing a Ford Anglia into the Whomping Willow and the vehicle hiding in the Forbidden Forest.

The door squeaked loudly as it opened further beckoning me to get inside. I climbed in and put on my seatbelt. After I was secure, the car took off rumbling and bumping along.

--

I was startled awake by the notification charm on the Forbidden Forest going off loudly in my ear. As deputy headmaster, it was part of my job to watch the charms on the school when the Headmistress was gone on important business.

After silencing the alarm, I said, "Professor Stillwell," allowing me access to the record of the security breach. Headmistress McGonagall had created the charm to go off and when it did, an automatic recording was taken of the event.

It seemed as though a student, an older girl with black hair, had wander into the Forbidden Forest. Watching the replay, I noticed that the student seemed to be running away from something. I could see no evidence of anything chasing after her, but she seemed extremely upset.

Aware of the dangers lurking in the Forest, I quickly rushed to notify the teachers and begin searching for the lost girl. The previous headmaster, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, talked to the house ghosts and sent them to discover the identity of the student.

--

Being a light sleeper, it did not take much commotion to wake me up. Rubbing my eyes, I heard soft voices coming outside the dormitory door. The rest of the girls were still sleeping soundly, but I noticed Gemma's bed was empty.

"That's weird," I said aloud. When I came to bed, she was already asleep. "Maybe, she is downstairs." Following the voices I heard earlier, I crept closer to the common room.

Gemma was nowhere to be seen, but I happened upon the Grey Lady and Professor Flitwick, the Head of the Ravenclaw House.

"What is happening?" I heard the small squeaky voice of the Charms professor.

"Filius, it seems a student has wondered into the Forbidden Forest." The House ghost, the Grey Lady, said with an upset tone.

A shocked gasp came from Flitwick, "Do we know who the student is, Helena?"

"The other House ghosts are checking their common rooms. It's an older girl with black hair." The ghost replied. I wondered if it could be Gemma, and I started worrying.

"Well, we must check at once." Both adults turned towards the staircase that I was currently occupying.

I figured if I stayed hidden, Flitwick would not appreciate me sulking in the shadows. I came around the last bend, "Excuse me, but Gemma is missing."

"Miss Fawcett? Gemma is missing?" Flitwick yelped.

"Gemini Black, sir."

"Miss Black is missing. Oh, no!" He said worried. "Do you think she could just be out wondering around?"

"I don't know, Professor. She was asleep when I got into the dormitory, but now she is not there."

"I'll do a quick sweep of the rest of the dormitories to make sure she is the only one gone." The Grey Lady said disappearing, and a couple of seconds later she reappeared. "Everyone else is in their rooms, Filius."

"We must report that Miss Black is missing immediately." Flitwick turned to me, "Miss Fawcett, please return to your room."

I did as he said, but there was no way I could fall back asleep with my best friend lost in the Forest. Looking at Gemma's bed when I reentered the room, I noticed her wand was sitting on the bed side table.

My panic increased when I thought of Gemma defenseless with all those dark creatures that live in the Forest. I grabbed my wand and pocketed Gemma's. Without thinking of the consequences, I ran to the seventh year boys' dormitory and woke up Scorpius.

"Scorpius!" I hissed in his ear while I shook him roughly. "Wake up!"

"Mm, huh," Scorpius mumbled groggily.

"Gemma's in trouble!" I said loudly.

That got him up, "What happened? Where's Gemma?"

"Gemma is lost in the Forbidden Forest! Grab your wand and come on." I pulled him out of the room and down the stairs before he could say another word.

"Wait!" Scorpius pulled his arm out my grip. "I need to get something."

He left me in the common room as he ran back up to his dormitory. When Scorpius came back, he was carrying a square object.

"What is that?" I asked curiously before my apprehension overrode that reaction, "Never mind. Come on," I started leaving.

"Albus! Albus, come in!" Scorpius was saying into the unknown object.

"What are you doing?" I asked exasperatedly.

"It's a two-way mirror." He replied hurriedly. "Albus!"

"What, Scorp?" Hearing a voice, I came closer and looked at what my fellow Ravenclaw was holding. It was an old mirror, and in it, I could see Albus. Just saying I was amazed was an understatement, but soon I was distracted by the boys' conversation.

"Albus, get up and wake Rose."

The boy in the mirror looked confused, "Okay, I'll go get her." Albus came back with his red-headed cousin.

"What is it, Scorp? What could be so important that you had to wake me up at three in the morning?" Rose seemed like she would never stop ranting.

"Rose, shut up!" Scorpius said surprising everyone. He never sounded so serious, and Rose looked dumbfounded.

"Scorp, what is wrong with you?" Albus said angrily wondering why Scorpius would be so rude to Rose.

"I'm sorry, but Gemma is in trouble." Scorpius said as I continued pulling him out of the Ravenclaw tower.

"What do you mean 'in trouble'?" The red-head Weasley seemed to come out of a stupor. Albus seemed to be completely speechless.

I grabbed the mirror out of my fellow classmate's hands, "She is in the Forbidden Forest. Now if you are going to help, get out of the Gryffindor Tower and meet us in the Entrance Hall." I gave the mirror back to Scorpius and continued the journey to the Hogwarts' entrance.


	19. My Gemma

--Gemma's Point of View--

It only took two seconds for me to realize that the Ford Anglia needed new suspension. I was bounced around unmercifully, and I was beginning to regret getting into the vehicle. After being jarred for several minutes, the Anglia came to a screeching halt and I was propelled forward. The seat belt was the only thing that kept me in the car.

The Anglia's engine whined, sputtered, and then died. With the loud roar silenced, it was eerily quiet. I heard a rustle and crunch before the Ford Anglia clicked its locks down. Having watched old late night horror movies like Christine, I was not sure if I was more worried about what could happen to me outside the car, or what could happen to me while I was inside it.

Quickly ignoring that train of thought, I heard a long scraping sound of something clawing against the body of the Anglia. A shiver ran down my spine, and I felt extremely vulnerable as I remembered that I did not have my wand.

--Albus' Point of View--

Rose and I hurried down to the Entrance Hall. Even though it was well passed curfew, we did not even attempt to avoid detection. Rose was in a stupor, and I was worrying about the Ravenclaw that was currently wandering around in the Forbidden Forest.

"Where are they?!?" I heard an aggravated voice by the Main Door.

"Mattie, you need to calm down. If the teachers see us out of bed, whether or not we are planning on rescuing Gem, they will send us back to the dormitories." I recognized my best friend's voice immediately.

"Scorpius, why is she in the Forest?" I asked coming around the corner into his line of vision.

"Does she have her wand?" Rose asked rationally.

"I don't know. And no," Gemini's friend, Mattie, answered. Rose looked even more distressed.

"We should hurry," I suggested itching to get out and find Gemma. Nodding in agreement, we pushed open the door and hurried down the path towards the Forbidden Forest.

--Gemma's Point of View--

Since I stressed myself out easily when I was younger, I had developed a way to keep myself from panicking. My goal was to avoid thinking about whatever was bothering me, so I would recite my multiplication tables in my head starting with the twos.

'Two times one equals two…two times two equals four…two times three equals six…two times four equals-''

My concentration was broken by another screeching sound as the car was pushed temporarily onto two wheels before crashing back onto all four.

"Don't worry, Gemma. You'll be fine." I told myself in a whisper wishing it to be true. My whisper sounded like screaming compared to the momentary silence.

'Two times four equals eight…two times five equals ten…two times six equals twelve-' Another scraping noise, "Focus Gemma!" I said almost inaudibly. 'Two times seven equals…um-' Screech! 'Um, um, two times seven equals fourteen…'

By now, I was shaking uncontrollably.

...

...

...

Several minutes passed in complete silence, and I had gotten to the twelve times tables. Whatever was outside of the Anglia had either taken a break, or hopefully, left. No matter what was going on, I was not going to leave the car to investigate.

The Ford's engine roared to life suddenly and lurched forward at an incredible speed. I was thrown back into my seat, but even over the noise, I heard the thumping of something humongous following the Anglia's path.

My breathing hitched as the car picked up speed.

--Albus' Point of View--

'It must be close to three in the morning,' I thought just as the clock tower struck my guessed time.

I was ahead of Rosie, Scorp, and Mattie. Blindly running downhill, my shoes crunched against the dew covered grass.

"Albus! You need to slow down. You will slip on the grass," Rose called just as the aforementioned warning occurred.

My feet slid out from under me, and I stumbled before falling to the ground.

"Are you okay?" Rose asked worriedly.

"Fine," I mumbled standing up, dusting myself off, and starting to run again.

By this time, we were at the outskirts of the Forest. I was breathing heavily, but I had no time to rest. There was a sinking feeling in my stomach; _My_ Gemma was in trouble.

--Gemma's Point of View--

The Anglia dove into what I guessed was heavy vegetation and cut its engine. The car and I seemed to both be holding our breath as we listened to the thumping stop.

The silence descended again, but was broken within seconds. I heard the scraping sound again on the roof of the vehicle. Trying to hide myself within the upholstery, I shrunk into the seat as my stomach dropped.

Feeling as though I was ascending on a rollercoaster ride, the blue Ford was lifted into the air. Petrified, I began screaming.

--Albus' Point of View--

A sharp sound pierced through the air, and simultaneously, we all asked, "What was that?"

"Gemma!" Rose yelled charging into the trees. Immediately, I followed.

"Rosie, wait!" Scorp called as Mattie and he entered after us.

I had barely traveled ten feet when I saw what appeared to be a gigantic person holding a blue car. Looking closer, it reminded me of a child playing with a toy.

We heard another scream; it was obviously coming from the vehicle.

"Gem! Gemma!" Mattie screamed. I could not tell if her voice carried far enough to be heard by the captive in the vehicle. Rose added her cries to Mattie's before she burst into tears.

I was closely watching the car, which I believed to be my grandpa's old Anglia. I identified the person holding it as a giant, but it seemed to be young. The giant was making car sounds as it moved the Anglia left to right. There was the sound of breaking glass as the giant accidently ran the Ford into a tree. From where I was standing, I could see Gemma's terrified face through the newly broken window.

Jostling around the vehicle, the giant let out a yelp when the glass cut its hand. Rose, Scorpius, Mattie, and I stared in horror as the giant released its grip on the Anglia, and it started falling with Gemma still inside.

--Gemma's Point of View--

Quickly, I ran out of breath and stopped screaming. I needed to think about how to get out of this situation. The windows were caked in dirt and grime, so I could see nothing out of them. I heard deep rumbling noises from outside the car, but I tried not to focus on that.

'One step at a time, Gemma.' I thought to myself trying to figure out how to get out of the vehicle.

My thoughts were interrupted, as the Anglia was swung left and right and bumped up and down. Before I felt it, I heard the vehicle make impact with what I assumed to be a tree. Glass was falling everywhere, and even though I could now see, I really wished I could not.

The Ford Anglia was several feet above ground, and through the window, I could see the four people I cared about the most. Mattie's mouth was open, but I could not hear her over the rumbling of whatever was holding me. Red and silver blonde hair was mixed as Scorpius was trying to comfort Rose. Out of everyone there, I kept eye contact with Albus.

He seemed to be frozen, and when a loud yelp came from whatever was holding me, all four of my friends jumped and turned to look at the car.

I did not even have time to blink before the car began to fall. Amazingly lucid, I said, "I wish I could fly."

--Albus' Point of View--

There was nothing we could do; she would not survive the fall in that rickety old Ford. And we would all witness her…death. Everyone seemed to have accepted the inevitable. I wanted to turn, but I could not tear my eyes away.

As though it was not ready to give up, the Anglia's engine fired up and with a clunking sound, sprung forward.

I stared openmouthed as the blue car took off into the air and actually _flew_ towards Hogwarts.

"Come on," I said grabbing Scorpius' arm as I started running after the vehicle. I spared a glance backwards looking for the giant, but it had already taken off deeper into the Forest after it had been injured.

The Anglia was quickly getting out of my eyesight, and I did not want to lose it. Being careful not to fall, I sprinted out of the Forbidden Forest with Scorpius, Rose, and Mattie running right behind me.

We arrived on Hogwarts' grounds just in time to see the car take a nosedive to the ground. At the last second, the Anglia pulled up and landed smoothly.

I continued rushing towards the vehicle, and when I got to the passenger's side door, the door opened up and threw Gemma outside. She was propelled into my arms, and I was knocked to the ground. Gemma wrapped her arms around me. She had tears streaming down her face.

"You are okay, now. I am here. Everything is fine," I told her pulling her as close as humanly possible. I needed to make sure she was actually alive.

"We're going to go get a Professor," Scorpius told us dragging Rose with him.

I nodded, but I was not paying attention to what he was saying. My thoughts were completely focused on the shaking girl in my arms.


	20. Palmer and Leatherby

_Gemma's PoV_

Utterly exhausted, I fell asleep in whoever's arms I had been thrust into by the car. I awoke to find myself indoors and completely discombobulated. I looked around and realized I was laying on a bed in the Hospital Wing.

As far as I could tell, there was no one around. A purple potion that smelled like peppermint was sitting on the nightstand. I easily recognized it as a sleeping draught and was not entirely surprised to see a note that said drink me. Feeling like Alice in Wonderland, but knowing that I would not shrink, I moved the potion towards my mouth.

Before I could drink it, a groan from the bed on my left startled me. It took some quick handwork to keep from dropping the glass vial. I planned to finish the potion without investigating, but the covers shifted just enough for me to identify the black head of hair hiding underneath.

"Albus? Al?" I questioned. All I got was a groan in response. Getting out of bed, I shuffled closer to the other patient. "Albus, are you okay?" Even as I said it, I knew it was a stupid question. If he was in the Hospital Wing, his health probably was not 100%, and the groaning was backing up my theory that something was wrong.

"Miss Black!" A sharp voice interrupted my thoughts. I turned to see the nurse, Madam Wilson, staring at me with her hands on her hips. "Why are you out of bed? And why are you pestering Mr. Potter?"

"Um, I uh," my brain was drawing a blank.

"Fascinating," she said sarcastically.

I grinned sheepishly and shrugged.

Madam Wilson commanded, "Get back in bed, Miss Black." As I followed her demand, she asked, "Did you take your potion?"

"No, not yet."

"Well, get to it." She began to cast spells over Albus.

"What happened to him?" I questioned.

"He brought you here after you went gallivanting into the Forbidden Forest." Madam Wilson said accusingly. Vaguely, I heard footsteps and a door opening.

Feeling the need to defend myself, I exclaimed, "I was not gallivanting! I do not know how I ended up in the Forbidden Forest."

"Is that the story you are sticking to? Miss Black, is it?" By the Hospital Wing doors, an official looking young man stood in crisp wizard's robes.

"When did you get here? Who are you? Why are you here?" The nurse interrogated the man.

"I arrived only seconds ago. My name is Linus Palmer, and I work for the Magical Law Enforcement Squad. My partner and I are here to apprehend the student using the alias Gemini Black."

"Alias?" I sputtered as my stomach dropped at the thought of being apprehended.

Madam Wilson took a defensive stance between Albus and my beds. "What grounds do you have to 'apprehend' my patient?"

"My partner is bringing the headmistress. They will be here shortly, and I am to watch the criminal until they arrive."

"Criminal?" I mumbled.

"Criminal!" The nurse said indignant. "I will tell you who the criminal is," she stalked up to Palmer pointing her finger at him.

"Do not worry, Irene, I will handle this," McGonagall said to the irate nurse while she and an older man entered the room. At McGonagall's direction, Madam Wilson went back into her office. "_Accio _Chairs," said the headmistress, and three chairs appeared. McGonagall and the two people from the Magical Law Enforcement Squad sat down. "Explain yourselves, now!"

"We have a warrant for this student's arrest," Palmer said motioning to me.

"What are the charges?" McGonagall asked in an even voice while her eyes flashed dangerously.

Palmer motioned towards his partner, who introduced himself as Auror Leatherby, "Actually, we are bringing her in for questioning."

"Questioning?"

"Her relationship with the Lestranges, the Dark Lord, and recent suspicious behavior," Auror Leatherby elaborated.

"Do not forget that she is using an alias!" Palmer said judgingly.

"Alias?" McGonagall and Madam Wilson asked at the same time.

"Yes, this criminal is none other than Gemini Edeline Lestrange, the daughter of Rodolphus Lestrange and Bellatrix Black-Lestrange!" Palmer exclaimed.

"Whether or not her last name is Lestrange, I see no reason for you to call her a criminal." McGonagall told the overly vocal Palmer.

"Right you are, Head Mistress, but we do need to bring her in for questioning." Auror Leatherby said placidly handing McGonagall a document.

I assumed that the document was the warrant to apprehend me. Fearfully, I watched McGonagall read the papers, and her oncoming expression of resignation made my terror worse.

"I am sorry, Miss Black, but you have to go with them. I will contact Mrs. Malfoy." Palmer grunted at the name. "Mrs. Malfoy is Miss Black's guardian. She deserves to be notified."

"Fine," Palmer said huffily. "We should get going," he continued, standing up.

"My patient has not been checked out. Therefore, she cannot leave!" Madam Wilson commanded.

As I sat on the hospital bed, the nurse's statement gave me hope, but that flame was quickly smothered. Palmer examined me and said, "She looks fine to me. Now, get up, _Miss_ _Black_!" He said my name condescendingly, but I was too shocked to react.

"For our questioning, we will have to go to St. Mungo's. She will be looked after there." Auror Leatherby said to the fuming nurse hoping to calm her down. "Come along, Miss Black." He motioned for me to follow, and slowly, I walked towards him.

Palmer stalked out of the Hospital Wing, I followed at a reluctant pace, and Auror Leatherby brought up the rear. As I walked out, I glanced back at the two women I was leaving behind; both wore looks of anger and sadness.

Movement from the other occupied hospital bed caught my eye. Albus laid there wide-awake, and from the look on his face, I knew he had heard every word the two men had said.


End file.
